Saving KidCastle
by 3detectives1writer
Summary: Now a little A/U: When Alexis gets kidnapped, Castle and Beckett must put aside their differences and bring her back. Set between 47 Seconds-Undead Again. This is my first fic, so tell me what you think. Cover art done by the lovely shakeitlikeaparsnip from Tumblr.
1. Prolouge

**Saving KidCastle**

Prologue

Alexis Harper Castle sat alone on a leather couch in the loft. She wore a pair of black sweats and one of her dad's t-shirts. She was reading her dad's book _Death of a Prom Queen _on her Kindle Fire. She wore her headphones since she was listening to music while reading.

Alexis was unaware of the front door opening. She didn't notice the shadowy figure enter the loft. In fact, no one did. Remember, Alexis is alone. Her actress grandmother was busy at her acting school, and her writer father was doing some stuff for his agent and publisher.

Alexis turned the page. She was somewhat surprised that her father got the details of a teenage girl right. Alexis probably wasn't born yet when he wrote it, so how did he get the details right? Scratch that-she didn't want to know. All she has to do is make sure her dad doesn't figure out that she's reading his books. He'd either freak out or tease her about it for the rest of her life. Alexis wasn't looking forward to either one of them.

The shadowy figure made his way around the loft. He planned his attack to be quick and not involving death. Severe injury, but not death. He held his Sig Sauer in his hands. He adjusted his uniform shirt so that his badge wasn't visible.

He stared at Alexis while still staying in the shadows. Ever since he graduated from the Academy as a rookie blue, he's seen her down at the morgue and at crime scenes interning for Dr. Lanie Parish. She's the daughter of that writer who follows Detective Beckett and her squad around. He really didn't want to get her to notice him _that _way, but his employer told him to do this or die.

He stepped into the light. He unlocked his gun from safety. He checked the barrel for bullets. Damn; why didn't he load it before coming here? He grabbed a few bullets from his pocket and loads some into his gun. When all of that didn't get her attention, he fired a few rounds randomly, shattering a lamp and picture frame.

Even though she had the volume cranked up, Alexis still heard something shatter behind her. She winced; that's not good. She paused the current song and pulled off her headphones. She got up and looked around. What the hell broke? She then spotted a lamp (or what's left of it) on a table with the shards of glasses as well as the glass of the frame of a picture of herself and her father from a few years back. The cause of the broken lamp was unknown, but there was a bullet lodged in the picture. Wait. Did she just say-uh, think-bullet?

"Hello Alexis," a man's voice said. Alexis spun around. There was an officer standing in front of the couch, pointing a gun at her.

Alexis froze. "Who are you?" Alexis asked. "My name is Kyle," he replied. "Kyle who?" Alexis prompted. "That's all you need to know, my dear. I really hate to do this, but you're going to have to come with me," he said. "Why? Am I in some kind of trouble? Is my dad okay? Did he get shot?" Alexis asked. "To answer your first question, my employer and I are going to have to hold you for ransom. To the second question, no, not with the NYPD. To the third and fourth question, your father is uninjured and fine," Kyle said.

Alexis stumbled back after the first answer. "No you won't; I'm not leaving! You have no right to take me for ransom, badge or no badge!" Alexis yelled. Kyle reached forward to grab her arm. Without thinking about it, Alexis grabbed a shard of glass and sliced at Kyle.

The glass tore through his uniform, cutting his skin. He winced and toppled. In a shock, his finger pulled the trigger of his gun not aiming at anything in particular. He crashed onto the hardwood floor.

Unfortunately, the bullet traveled towards Alexis. It grazed her shoulder. She cried out in pain and grasped her shoulder. She stumbled to the floor. She winced; right, the glass, forgot about that. The glass sliced her palm. Her sweat pants were sliced at the knee and were turning into a bloody mess.

Kyle got over the shock of being sliced with glass and hitting his head against the coffee table. He grabbed his gun and the gym bag, and he got up. He stormed over to where Alexis was sitting. He saw her bloody pants and arm. He felt really bad about this; he never meant to hurt her. He yanked her to her feet.

Alexis tried to reach for her phone. Maybe she could get a hold of her father or her Gram or Detective Beckett or Detectives Esposito and Ryan or anyone else at the precinct. She didn't get the chance. "Kyle" yanked her up to her feet. She cried out in pain. Her screams were muffled by the gag she was currently wearing. He handcuffed her and dragged her to the front door. By the door, there was a large crate. Kyle shoved Alexis into it and locked it up. He then rolled it out of the loft, down the elevator, out one of the fire exits, and into the night.


	2. The Discovery

Chapter 1

Richard Castle left the lovely restaurant where he was recently being tortured by his publisher and agent. Sorry, having dinner with his publisher and agent.

He wore a navy blue dress shirt along with the maroon tie Alexis had chosen for him when he last wore this shirt and a pair of black dress pants. He grabbed the keys to his Ferrari from his suit jacket pocket. He walked to the parking garage were the Ferrari was currently parked. He climbed in, put the gears on reverse, got out of the spot, put the gears on drive, and drove out of there.

His mind was focused on plotting what he and Alexis were going to do. Should they continue their everlasting battle of laser tag? Pillow fort? Fencing? Poker? Homemade pizzas? He didn't really know. He scratched that last part of his list of options when he remembered the last time they tried to make pizzas. Let's just say that it ended up with his hair on fire.

He turned on the radio since the silence was killing him. One particular song caught his attention. It was by that singer, Taylor Swift. What was it called? Cold as You or something like that. It reflected on exactly how he felt about Kate currently. Kate-no, she's Beckett to him, not Kate. Things have been a little rocky between them lately. He knows it's mostly his fault for giving her the cold shoulder, but he's still pissed off at her for lying to him. It would've been so much easier if she'd told him that she didn't love him a lot sooner so that he could move on.

A small part of him didn't believe that. That small part still believed that he hadn't been reading her all wrong these past months. That small part of him still hoped that she loved him. It was that small part that kept him coming back to the precinct every day. He kept telling himself and his mother that he keeps coming back for the victims, not for K-Beckett. Even he knew that it wasn't true.

Sighing, he tried to block out the tall brunette detective from his mind with thinking about Alexis. He failed miserably. All thoughts were filled with her. Damn, can he ever get her out of his head?

He parked his car in the parking garage to his building. "Good evening, Mr. Castle," the doorman called. Castle waved back as he boarded the awaiting elevator. He pressed the button to his floor. He waited impatiently, drumming his fingers against his thighs.

The doors opened at last, and he walked towards the loft. He noticed a red smudge in front of 8B. He chuckled, remembering the story he told Beckett, Ryan, Esposito, and Montgomery about the guy in 8B during the case with the nanny. Beckett-right, he wasn't supposed to think about her right now. No more memories. He reached for his keys and was about to unlock the door when he noticed that it was opened.

Being the murder mystery writer he was (and his wild imagination), worst case scenarios popped into his head. His panic level spiked up a bit, but he still remained calm. Remembering what he learned during his ride-along, he pushed open the door and waited. He heard no sound of footsteps or breathing or anything else that might trigger the knowledge of another person in the room. He silently crept into the room.

"Alexis?" he called out. No answer; his panic level went a level higher. He heard something crunch under his shoes. Glass. He then noticed the shards scattered around the back of the couch. Okay, maybe Alexis tripped and knocked over a lamp or something. Nothing to worry about, right? Confirming his assumption, he noticed the lamp (or what was left of it) that was broken. That must've been it. He noticed the picture frame that was also broken. That particular one housed a picture of himself and Alexis at the Hamptons.

That didn't calm his anxiety though; Alexis usually picks up the glass if she broke something. He noticed the small hole through it. Curiosity and anxiety got the better of him, and he picked up the frame. Something clattered to the floor. Setting the frame down, he used his phone's flashlight app to look around. Among the shards, something stood out from them. He knelt down for a closer inspection. It was a bullet.

Panic level rose to almost 100%. He was very close to calling Beckett and the boys right about now. What was a bullet doing there? Simple, his writer mind answered him, someone fired a few rounds. I know that, he told himself, but what happened?

He felt a liquid substance on his right hand that was currently on the floor. Thinking it was just water, he whipped it on his shirt. He made the mistake of flashing the light towards his shirt. It wasn't water that was on his hands. It was blood.

He flashed the light down to where his hand was earlier. A pool of blood lay there. He jumped back, hitting his head against the couch in the process, but he didn't care. His panic level reached 100%. He reached for his phone from his pocket with his non-bloody hand. He dialed the number to Beckett's phone so fast that he didn't even register what he'd done until he heard it ringing. He just hoped his little girl was safe.


	3. Calling for Backup

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait for the chapter update. Hopefully, this chapter will make up for it. I'll even throw in as many chapters as I can get done today. Please review. :)**

Chapter 2

Kate Beckett sat at her desk doing the boring task of paperwork. Ryan and Esposito were goofing off as usual. The only thing missing was Castle. Things have been a little weird between them. The boys have tried to cheer her up in their own way, but it just wasn't the same.

She thought about heading home, but it was just as boring there as it was at the precinct. Plus, Gates wanted her to finish at least this pile before calling it a day. She looked up at the boys, and she noticed that they haven't even touched their stacks.

"Guys, I hate to interrupt whatever the hell you're doing, but you do realize that Gates won't let you leave until you finish at least one stack," she said. They stopped laughing and looked at their desks. "Aww, shit!" they both yelled before rolling back to their desks. Esposito quickly stole a pen from Ryan's desk before they both attacked their stacks.

She laughed at them before returning her gaze to her desk. She grabbed her mug and realized it was empty. She suddenly wondered why she was surprised to find it empty. Oh, that's right, Castle usually kept her coffee supply up.

There she goes again, thinking about Castle. Damn that man. She can't get him out of her thoughts.

What the hell was wrong with her! She can get her own coffee! She doesn't need him to keep refilling her cup for her. _But it's more than just coffee when it comes to him,_ her brain thought. _Shut up, me,_ she told herself. She got up and stormed to the break room.

"Yo bro, what the hell is up with Mom?" Esposito asked Ryan as he watched his boss go into the break room. "What do you mean?" Ryan asked. "One minute, she's fine and telling us what to do. The next, she's pissed off," Esposito explained. "Do you think it has something to do with Castle?" Ryan asked. "I don't know, man, but they've been a little weird. What do you think is going on?" Esposito asked.

"I don't know. During the 'Night of Dance' case, they were fine. However, remember when Castle went to watch Beckett interrogate Bobby in the Boylan Plaza case?" Ryan asked. "Yeah, he came by, and everything was fine-""-but after a while, he came out all pissed about something. That's when things got weird. What the hell happened in there?" "I don't know, but I bet you that it has something to do with how he's acting now. Quick, bro, Becks is coming back. Act natural," Esposito said, turning back to his desk.

Beckett came back to her desk with a fresh cup of coffee. She finally closed off the part of her brain that constantly thought about Castle-at least for now. She set her mug down and got back to work.

After a while, she was just about done when she heard her cellphone vibrate. There goes any chance of a nice bubble bath at home.

Thinking it was a dead body, she didn't bother to check the caller ID. "Beckett," she answered. What she heard was not the voice of a rookie calling in a body. Instead, it was the voice of the man she was trying hard not to think about.

"Whoa, Castle, slow down. What's going on? Where are you?" she asked. "I'm at the loft. I just got home. I think Alexis has been kidnapped," he said, his voice dripping with the worry of a panicked parent.

"Are you sure?" she asked. By now, she's caught the attention of Ryan and Esposito. "No, I just called to play a prank on you guys. Of course I'm sure!" he basically yelled. She extended the phone away from her ear while he was yelling. "Okay, okay, you're sure. Just stay where you are. We'll be right there," she said, hanging up.

"Yo Beckett, what the hell was that about?" Esposito asked as she grabbed her coat. "It's Alexis. Castle thinks she's been kidnapped. Let's go."


	4. Crime Scene 1

Chapter 3

Castle paced back and forth as he waited for Beckett and the guys to arrive. A million thoughts ran through his head. _Where is Alexis? What's happening to her? Is she alive? Are they torturing her? Did she get kidnapped by the CIA?_ He thought. _Hey writer's imagination, shut the hell up, _he told himself.

He heard the door open. He jerked himself away from his thoughts, and just for a second, he honestly hoped Beckett was there. "Richard, Alexis, I'm home!"

His mood dampened, "Oh, it's just you."

Martha looked at her son. He wore the expression that she often wore when he was out later than usual when he was a teenager. "Richard, darling, what's wrong? Where's Alexis?" she asked. "I don't know," he whispered, plopping down on the couch. "What do you mean you don't know?" she asked. "I came home from having dinner with Gina and Paula, and I found bullet holes and a pool of blood. I called Beckett and the guys, and they're coming over," he said.

Martha thought her son's imagination was getting away from him. Then she turned on the lights. A blood pool and bullet casings were on the wood floor. She gasped and moves to sit by her son who now had his face buried in his hands.

Beckett ran into Castle's building as soon as she parked her car. Ryan and Esposito followed closely behind. She waved to the doorman and ran up the stairs, not bothering to take the elevator. She spotted the blood on 8B on her way.

She yanked the door to Castle's loft open.

Castle and Martha looked up when Beckett opened the door. Castle bolted up and almost ran to her. "Beckett!" he yelled, almost giving her a hug. Almost. Then he remembered the fact that she lied to him. He controlled himself and gestured for her and the boys to come in.

"So Castle, what makes you think she got kidnapped?" Ryan asked. "Over there," Castle gestured towards behind the couch. The three detectives walked over; Ryan handed out latex gloves.

Beckett kneeled down where the blood and casings were; not too far that she couldn't see details, but not close enough to contaminate the scene. She picked up a bullet casing, "Looks like a .40 caliber. We might be able to determine the make and model when we get back to the precinct," Beckett said, pulling out her phone. "What are you doing?" Castle asked. "Calling Lanie. She'll be able to determine whose blood this is," she replied.

Lanie was just about to call it a day at the morgue when she heard her cell phone ring. It was Beckett.

"Hey girl, what's up?" she asked. "Hey Lanie, I'm at Castle's loft and-" "Honey, you better be at Castle's loft for the reason you know I'm thinking about," Lanie replied. Lanie could tell Beckett was rolling her eyes on the other end. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Lanie. I need you to come over with your kit. Alexis might've been kidnapped, and I need you to run some tests on a blood pool," she replied. Lanie's eyes widened, "I'll be right there."

Beckett had just hung up the phone with Lanie when they heard Castle's phone ring. Everyone braced themselves. Castle cautiously picked up the phone and answered with a shaky, "Hello." "Hello, Mr. Castle. I think you know why I'm calling…"


	5. Calls and Talks

**A/N: I know; I was so mean to leave that cliffhanger. MWAHAHAHAHA! Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please review as they get updates quicker.**

Chapter 4

Castle froze and turned away from the rest. "It's you. What's going on? Did you take my daughter?" he asked quietly so that the others wouldn't hear.

"No, I did not, Mr. Castle, but the people who did are very powerful," Mr. Smith said on the other end. "Do they have some connection to Beckett's shooting and her mother's murder?" he asked.

Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito were waiting for Castle to finish his call. Most likely, that is the ransom call. They didn't need to tell him what to say since he already knew.

"Okay guys, here's what we're gonna do. Lanie's gonna be here any minute to do her report. Ryan, you head back to the precinct to check security footage of this floor, the lobby, the elevator, and any back exits. Let's see if we can find out who it is and where he might be headed. Meanwhile, Esposito, you interview the neighbors; see if they saw or heard anything. I'll keep you guys posted if anything happens here," Beckett said. "You got it, boss," they said leaving. "Oh and one more thing. Ryan, take this back with you. See if you can find out what kind of gun it is," she said, tossing him the evidence bag with the bullets and their casings. "Right away, Beckett," Ryan said.

He paused on his way to the door and before he could lose his courage, he asked, "Hey Beckett is everything okay between you and Castle?" Not even bothering to look up at him, she replied, "Everything's fine. Why?" "It's just that you two have been acting a little weird lately. Is there something wrong? Do Esposito and I need to kick his ass?" Ryan asked, his brotherly concern dripping in his voice. "We're fine, Ryan. Now, don't you have some work to do?" she snapped back. "Right, sorry, just tell us if you need anything," he said. She waved him off, and he left.

Esposito had heard the whole thing outside the door. When Ryan came out, he asked, "Yo Ry, what was that all about?" "Something's definitely wrong with them. Did you see the way she acted when I mentioned it?" Ryan asked. "Something's definitely wrong with Mom and Dad. Do you think they're fighting?" Esposito asked. "No, not yet. They're still talking, so that means it's something else. Do you think Lanie and Martha might know what's wrong?" Ryan asked. "I don't know. Let's ask them later. Right now, we'd better do what Beckett says. We all know what happens when Angry Beckett gets out," Esposito said. They both winced and departed to do their tasks.

"Yes, they do. Now, I know you want to rescue your daughter, but you need to keep Detective Beckett out of this. She keeps away from the case; we still hold all the cards," Mr. Smith said. "She's not going to back away. Once she finds out it's connected to her mother's murder and her shooting, she's not going to stop," Castle replied. "Then we have a problem. I can't control the situation if you can't control her," Mr. Smith said. "Tell me about Alexis. Is she okay?" Castle asked. "She's fine, for now. She's being used as bait to lure you and Detective Beckett in," Mr. Smith replied. "Why me? What did I do?" Castle asked. "They've realized that you may be a danger to them. They watched how you solved cases, and they think you'd be able to find out their secret. Tread lightly, Mr. Castle," Mr. Smith said. "But-" Castle started to say, but he heard the line go dead.

Castle put his phone away and turned around. He just saw Beckett there. "Where are the guys?" he asked. He must've startled her because she had that deer-caught-in-a-headlight look. "Oh, Ryan is checking security footage and trying to find out what kind of gun it is. Esposito is talking with the neighbors," she replied. "Oh, okay," he replied. He just stood there while she examined the scene.

"Okay girl, what's this about a blood pool and Alexis being kidnapped?" Lanie called.

Lanie stepped into the loft and noticed she broke awkward silence. Ryan and Esposito had told her that something was wrong between Castle and Beckett. Hmm…She'll grill them later.

"Hey Lanie," Beckett said finally. "I'm going to go head down to the precinct. I'll go help Ryan with the security footage," Castle said, putting on his coat. He grabbed his keys and wallet before leaving.

"So…" Lanie said, kneeling down beside the pool and getting out her equipment. "So?" Beckett asked, wondering where she was going at this conversation. "So, what's going on between you and Writer Boy?" Lanie asked. "Nothing is going on between Castle and me. We're fine. Why do people keep asking me that?" she replied. "Okay honey, spill. What did Writer Boy do? Do I need to kick his ass?" Lanie asked. "You're not going to leave me alone until I tell you, are you?" Beckett asked. Lanie gave her one of her _what-do-you-think _looks.

Beckett sighed in defeat, "Okay. He's different." "Different how?" Lanie questioned, finally getting something out of her. "He's distant, and he's been acting weird. He's not cracking as many jokes, and he has this anger in his voice sometimes. He turns down invites to have a beer with us. He's been going out with blonde bimbos again. It's like he's pulling away," she rambled.

_Gotcha. Ah, the power of Lanie Parish. I can get almost anything out of people, even Katherine Beckett. _Lanie thought. "Well, did you tell him?" Lanie asked. "Tell him what?" Beckett asked. "That you love him of course! What else?" Lanie almost yelled. Beckett gave her a look. "What? Was that supposed to be some big secret?" Lanie asked sarcastically. "Yes! No…I don't know. Ugh, this is so confusing…" Beckett said, burying her face in her hands. "Girl, what are you scared of?" Lanie asked. "I just don't want to lose what we have," Beckett replied quietly. "And what exactly do you have?" Lanie asked. "A…friendship?" Beckett replied more as a question than a statement. "No honey, you don't have a friendship; that's what you and I have. You two have this holding pattern," Lanie replied, "Now; I think you and I know exactly what you need to do." "So I should just walk up to him and say: _Hey Castle, I lied to you about remembering my shooting, but I love you too?_" Beckett asked.

Now Lanie was confused. What's this about remembering her shooting? "Whoa, girl, back up. What's this about your shooting?" Lanie asked.

Whoops, she had said too much. Now she had no choice but to explain to Lanie everything. Beckett explained about how Castle told her he loved her and how she had lied to him about it at the hospital.

When she'd finished, Lanie looked at her with a shocked look on her face. "Girl, I out to smack you! You're telling me that Writer Boy told you he loved you? Not that I appreciate that he told you while you were dying, but seriously? You lied to him about remembering? Now I can see why he'd be pissed off!" Lanie yelled. "What? Do you think he knows?" Beckett asked, the look of worry etched in her face. "Honey, why else would he be acting like a jackass? You need to tell him you love him," Lanie said. Beckett sighed and said, "Fine, I will, after the case. Right now, we need to focus on finding Alexis." Realizing that Lanie was done, they both headed out; Beckett had her evidence bags with her.

Martha, hiding behind a column, had heard the entire exchange between Beckett and Lanie. _So Kate really does love him. She now knows why Richard is acting the way he is. Note to self: send Lanie a gift basket. I'd better tell Richard about this later. _Martha thought before retreating to her bedroom.

**A/N: This is my longest chapter so far. I wanted to have the Lanie-Beckett conversation in this chapter because I wanted to do a chapter about Alexis next. After that, Castle's going to talk with the boys. Again, please review! :)**


	6. Waking Up

**A/N: So sorry about the long wait! I have been busy prepping for school and finally cleaning out my room. Anyway, I'll try to squeeze in the chapter where Castle talks to the boys today also. As promised, here's Alexis. Enjoy and please review! :) **

Chapter 5

Cold. That was what she felt first. She had a pounding headache, and her shoulder stung with intense pain from the bullet wound. She felt something drip off of her palm. Right, the cut from the broken glass.

She finally managed to open her eyes. She took in her surroundings. She was in a room with the only source of light being the lamp above her head. She was sitting on a surprisingly comfortable chair. She tried to move her arms but was held back. She looked down and realized that she was duct taped to the chair. Her wrists were hand cuffed behind her back, her legs were taped to the legs of the chair, a long strip of the tape was wrapped around her chest and the back of the chair, and there was a piece of tape on her mouth.

She thought about the time when her dad had asked her to duct tape him to a chair for "research". She almost laughed at the thought of her dad struggling to get himself free using only the things around the loft.

_Dad,_ she thought. She knew by now he'd be home from that dinner with Gina and Paula. Maybe even her grandmother was home. He'd surly would've called Detective Beckett by now. She and Detectives Ryan and Esposito will be looking for her.

A small part of her wondered if he'd even bother to call Detective Beckett at all. Things have been rocky between those two lately. She hoped that her dad wouldn't go on a crazy suicide mission to try to save her. No, he's changed. Maybe the old him would've done that, but now he'd call for the 12th as back up.

Now, how to get out of here. First, she needed to figure out how to get out of this chair. She tried to stand up to walk around using the legs of the chair that were taped to her legs like her dad did. She tried but failed. Either the chair was purposely too heavy for her to lift or she was just weaker than normal due to the amount of blood loss in her shoulder. She probably figured that both were true.

Okay, time for Plan B. She tried to reach into the pockets of her sweats when she felt something poke her hands. She grabbed it and realized it was a shard of the broken glass. Jackpot! She arched forward a little so her hands have a little more access to the tape around her. She heard the slight tear of the tape when she aimed the glass. She kept at it until she couldn't reach anymore. She tried to see if the tape was loose enough that she could pull it apart. After a few more tries, she finally broke loose. Success!

She swung her arms over her head, careful not to cut herself with the glass. She bent down to cut at the tape around her legs, freeing the left, then the right.

She stood up, dropping the glass shard on the floor. She reached up to get the tape off of her mouth. She grabbed a corner and hesitated. She knew this would hurt really badly. _Like a Band-Aid, do it really fast so it doesn't hurt as much. _She thought. She closed her eyes before she yanked it off. She yelped for a second before she calmed down. That wasn't too bad.

Next priority was finding a way out of here. She walked away from the chair grasping her shoulder. She bumped into something that felt strangely like a bed. She then noticed a pillow and a blanket and realized that that was what it was. That only made her freak out a little more.

She noticed something in the corner. She walked back to the lamp to angle it in that direction. Ew that was supposed to be the toilet. Ugh, that explains the smell. She angled the lamp up towards the ceiling. No signs of a secret door up there.

She plopped down on the so-called bed and sighed. She thought about where she heard of a situation like this outside of the movies. Oh, that's right, her dad and Beckett were trapped in an abandoned warehouse, handcuffed to each other. Didn't he say there was a tiger with them? She hoped there wouldn't be anything like that on the other side of the wall. That would be just mean.

She heard something somewhere open. She saw natural light from somewhere leak into the room. She wished she had seen where it was coming from, but the light was too bright. She hoped it was her dad and Detective Beckett, but she knew they wouldn't be here that soon.

"Hello, Alexis Castle," a man's voice said. She knew it wasn't Kyle. Kyle had a more chipper tone in his voice. This man had a cold yet condescending tone to his. When he stepped into the light, she inwardly gasped. She'd seen him before. If only she could remember his name…

"I see you got out of the chair. I told that boy that duct tape wouldn't hold you back. He didn't listen. That was impressive and bold to use the glass to free yourself. I would've thought you stabbed yourself with it," he said. She remained silent; plastering that poker face Detective Beckett taught her. "What do you want from me?" she asked, showing no emotion and her voice dripped with nothing but confidence. "You? Nothing. It's what I want from Detective Beckett and your dad," he said. "What is it that you want so badly that you'd kidnap me to get it?" she asked. "I want Detective Beckett of course! I promised my employer I'd finish the job. And, if that father of yours won't keep quiet, I'll kill him too," he replied.

She almost broke after he finished talking, but she pushed her emotions aside. "What has my father and Detective Beckett done for you to want to kill them?" she asked. "They have valuable information about my employer. They're sticking their noses into things they don't belong in. Detective Beckett won't stop investigating her mother's murder, and that writer is stupid enough to follow her lead," he replied.

Oh, so this has to do with Beckett's mom's murder. She should've known this had something to do with that. Why else would he want Detective Beckett _and _her father dead?

"I just have one question. Why have Kyle kidnap me and not do it yourself?" she asked. He laughed; his laugh made her shiver. "Aren't you a little nosy brat? Common sense, little one. If I want to stay a ghost, I can't be getting myself seen! It's easier and more fun if I have one of those puny little rookies do it for me. I just managed to find one who had a huge crush on you to do it for me," he said.

Alexis hid the blush that was threatening to creep up into her cheeks. That explains a lot. Good thing her dad hadn't found out or he'd make her leave her internship. She schooled her features before turning back to the man.

"Where is he now?" she asked. "Oh, how rude of me. Say hello to your girlfriend, _Officer_," he said.

Alexis gasped when she saw Kyle. He looked…well, terrible sounded like the nicer word. His legs were broken (his left leg had the bone sticking out of it). Where his arms supposed to bend that way? Blood dripped down his face from the bullet hole in his head.

She just wanted to throw up. The man tossed his body aside like a rag doll. Now, Alexis was terrified. She now knew what he would do if she didn't do what he wanted.

He must've noticed her discomfort because he laughed. "Yes, the boss said to take care of him if he harmed you. He wanted you free of any wounds, but Kyle there ended up shooting you anyway," he said. Alexis gulped nervously.

He stopped long enough to motion one of the other men in the room that she didn't previously notice before to take Kyle's body away. She watched as he whispered something to one guy. They nodded and ran off. He turned back towards her. She saw something in his hand. She realized it was a blade. "Now, about what they know about my employer…"


	7. Sitting in the Rain

**A/N: I know; I'm so mean. I know it's not nice to leave you guys hanging there and waiting forever for the next chapter. So, I'll give you another one. Have fun and please review. **

Chapter 6

On his way towards the elevator, Castle spotted Esposito talking to one of his neighbors. Castle spotted something in his hands that looked like a folded-up note. He casually pulled it out of his hands and bent down to 'tie his shoe.'

He unfolded it and read it. **Bro, what the hell is going on between you and Beckett? You've been acting weirder than usual. Ry and I know something's up, but Beckett won't tell us what. Explain. –Espo**

He sighed and pulled out a pen, wrote something down, got up, and slipped the note into Esposito's coat pocket before heading to the elevator. Once the elevator dinged open on the ground floor, Castle got out. He exited the lobby and headed in no particular direction. He needed to take a walk and think about what Mr. Smith said.

Esposito finished interviewing the neighbor. Once the door was closed, he dug into his pocket looking for the note. Man, he had a lot of crap in there. He should really clean it out.

"Got it!" he silently exclaimed, yanking a piece of paper out. He unfolded it and began to read out loud. "Eggs, chocolate milk, Oreos, donuts, hotdogs, Band-Aids…Wait! Whoops, that's my grocery list," he said, putting it away.

He finally found what he was looking for. He unfolded it and saw what Castle wrote under his handwriting. **Nothing is going on between us. Everything's fine. I'm gonna take a walk for a while just to clear my head. Tell Beckett I'll meet you guys at the precinct later. –Castle **

Esposito crumpled up the paper and hit Ryan's speed-dial. He picked up on the second ring. "Ryan." "Bro, something's definitely wrong. Dad's not fessing up either," Esposito said. "Where is Castle anyway?" Ryan asked. "I don't know. He said he was going for a walk. We'll grill him when he gets back," Esposito replied. "Okay, let's hope Lanie got something out of Beckett," Ryan said. "Yeah, Lanie knows how to get anything out of our girl. Whoa, I got to go. Lanie and Becks are coming out. Meet you at the precinct in fifteen," Esposito said before hanging up and running off.

Castle wasn't thinking about going in any particular direction, but he found himself in Central Park on the swing set that he and Beckett sat on after that summer apart. He slowly swung the swing back and forth on the heels and toes of his feet. He stared at the swing where Beckett had sat on.

He felt and saw rain fall over and around him. He watched people vacating the park and seeking refuge in their cars or in a nearby building. He probably should've done the same, but he needed this time to think.

He thought about what Mr. Smith said. He had to keep Beckett away from this case or else _they'd _come after her again. He'd do that, but the only problem was that he couldn't find Alexis without her. Decisions, decisions…

After a while, he decided he needed to consult on someone else's advice. He had to talk to Esposito and Ryan first. They were like her over-protective brothers.

He looked down at his watch. 8 o'clock. They probably haven't eaten yet. He got up and headed to the precinct.

Ryan paused the footage and turned when he heard the door open. He spotted Esposito and said, "Hey." "Hey, bro. Is Castle here?" Esposito asked. "No, haven't seen him. He might still be walking around. Where's Beckett?" Ryan asked. "Last I saw her, she was with Lanie. She should be coming in soon," Esposito said. "Cool. Help me with this footage," Ryan said. "Is it good?" Espo asked. "Lots of Mom and Dad," Ryan said, shrugging. "I'm in," Espo replied, sitting down.

Castle entered the bullpen soaking wet from the rain. He stopped by Beckett's desk to look around. Where the hell are Ryan and Esposito? He spotted them in the conference room and was about to head that way when he slipped and fell. He mumbled a few curses before trying to get up again but failing. He groaned in frustration before he grabbed Esposito's gym bag. He normally wouldn't go through another man's gym bag, but he needed to find a towel. Succeeding, he absorbed the pool of rain water with the towel before throwing it back into the bag. He carefully placed it back besides Esposito's desk before getting up.

He soon realized that everyone was staring at him. "Whoops, forgot not to stand in a place too long if I'm soaking wet from the rain. A pool of water could form, and you could trip," he joked, plastering on a fake smile. Everyone laughed and went back to work. Castle walked into the room where the boys were.

"Hey guys," Castle called. They turned, "Hey bro." "Listen guys, I was thinking. Do you guys have a second?" Castle asked. "Sure," they replied. "I need to talk to you guys. It's about Beckett," Castle said. He watched them exchange glances before turning back to him. "I think Gates said to go home. Let's go to the Old Haunt for drinks," Esposito said. He nodded before watching them get their coats and head to the elevator with him following them. The elevator opened to reveal Beckett.

"Hey, where're you guys headed?" she asked. "Gates sent us home. We're going to play Madden at my place. She said something about you needing to finish extra paper work," Esposito lied. "Oh, okay. Have fun," she replied, heading to her desk.

**A/N: I'm not really happy on how this chapter turned out. Oh well, next chapter will be about Castle/Ryan/Esposito and Beckett gets the ransom call. I'm not really sure where I want to go with this story. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks and please review.**


	8. Drinks, Deals, and Demands

Chapter 7

Beckett knew they were up to something. They wouldn't just go play Madden now during an active case unless they were using it as a cover. She let it slide knowing that they're probably at the Old Haunt. She set up the board with the information that they knew.

Ryan had found Alexis' cell phone when he was looking around. He was able to pull the records from it which Beckett used to fuel her timeline.

Okay, so Castle left the loft for dinner with Gina and Paula around 6:45. Martha left for drinks with friends at seven. That leaves an hour and a half time window where she was alone. She calls her friend, Paige, at 7:13 and talks for about twenty minutes. That narrows it down a bit. Castle gets home at 8:30. They have a little less than an hour time window where they could've taken her.

She wishes that the boys hadn't decided to talk right now. She really wished that Ryan had finished streaming through surveillance before heading out. Oh well. She headed to the break room to fill a large thermos with coffee. It was going to be a long night.

They arrived at the Old Haunt fifteen minutes after their encounter with Beckett. Castle let the bartender know that they were going down to his hidden office. The college boy nodded, and Castle slipped fifty dollars in his tip jar.

Once they were inside, Castle went over to the mini fridge and brought out three root beers. He also pulled out his secret stash of junk food. "I know it's not real beer, but it has beer in the name. Also, help yourself to my stash of junk food," he said before sitting down on the leather couch he'd placed in there when he remodeled the office. Ryan and Esposito sat in the leather recliners around the mahogany coffee table. "Whoa bro, what do you need all this for?" Esposito asked before grabbing nacho Doritos. "I stay late doing the book keeping for this place and need something to eat," Castle replied before grabbing a bag of Funyuns. Ryan grabbed a bag of BBQ Lays.

"So, Castle, what the hell is going on, man?" Esposito asked. "Yeah, man, you said it was about Beckett, and you're not making a joke. It must be serious. What's going on?" Ryan asked, popping a chip in his mouth. Castle took a long sip of his root beer before he set it down on the table and began.

"First of all, if anything in this investigation relates to Beckett's mother's murder, you'll tell me and only me, right?" Castle asked. Ryan and Esposito exchanged looks before Ryan asked, "You think it's connected?" At Castle's nod, Esposito asked, "What makes you think that your daughter's kidnapping is connected to all that complicated stuff?" "Remember that call I received when you guys were investigating the scene?" They nodded.

"Well, it was a call from an old friend of Montgomery's called Mr. Smith. He first contacted me after Beckett was shot. Before Montgomery went into that hanger, he sent a package to him containing information damaging to the people behind this. He struck a deal with them; if they left Beckett alone, the information will never see the light of day. They made one condition; Beckett had to back off. However, the package didn't arrive until after Beckett had been shot. Smith contacted me, and he told me that I had to make sure Beckett wasn't investigating the case or else the deal was off.

"Anyway, he contacted me today. He told me that the people who took Alexis are connected to Johanna Beckett's murder. He told me that Beckett can't investigate this case or else the deal is off. He also said that Alexis was being used as bait to lure Beckett and me in. They want me because they see me as a threat. Anyway, he warned to tread lightly before he hung up," Castle finished.

Ryan and Esposito started at Castle with disbelief. Oh, Lanie was right. Castle's got it bad for Beckett, if this story was any proof.

"So, you're telling me that this mystery dude who's an old friend of Montgomery told you to keep Beckett away?" Esposito asked. "Yes, but he never said anything about keeping me from the case. Plus, you know how Beckett is; she won't stop investigating if she finds out it's related to her mother's murder," Castle said, popping a Funyun in his mouth. Ryan and Esposito nodded in agreement.

"Alright, bro, we'll do it, but I think we need to bring Lanie in the loop. She could find something that connects it, and she'll tell Beckett. Don't worry, we'll catch the dirtbags," Esposito replied. "Thanks guys. Let's head to the morgue to fill Lanie in, and then we should pick up some Chinese food. I'm starving, you guys look hungry, and Beckett needs to eat more than the M&Ms and energy bars in her desk," he said. They all agreed before dumping their trash in the trash can, grabbing their coats, and climbing up the stairs to the main floor of the bar.

When Beckett entered the conference room, she saw that Ryan had paused the footage at a shot of her and Castle heading into the loft. Those little bastards…

Just as she hit play, she heard her phone ringing. She paused it again before rushing to her desk. She picked the phone up and answered it with a sharp, "Beckett." "Why Detective Beckett, how nice to see you're still at that precinct of yours!" a voice said.

"Who are you?" she asked, sitting down. She moved to try to trace it. "Oh, how rude of me! Allow me to introduce myself as vaguely as possible; I am the person youare searching for," the voice said.

She froze. So this is the guy who took Alexis. "Where is she?" she asked, her voice not leaking any kind of emotion. "That's for me to know and for you to find out," he replied before laughing. "How do I know she's still alive?" she asked in the same tone as before. "Oh of course, the natural cliché of asking to see if the hostage is alive, I've forgotten about that. Say hello to Detective Beckett, Alexis," the voice said. She waited before she heard, "Detective Beckett! Where's my dad and Grams?" Kate was about to answer back, but she heard a strangled yelp and the voice again; "There's your proof. Now, I will be keeping in touch. Whenever I feel like it, I'll demand the also clichéd ransom. Until then, goodbye, Katherine Beckett."

The line went dead. She tried to trace it, but it wasn't successful. Of course the bastards will make the call untraceable. They knew her whole play book! Ugh, where was Castle when she needed a corny joke to cheer her up?

The boys filed into the morgue where Lanie was doing some tests. She looked up and stopped what she was doing. "Well, if it isn't Writer Boy, Honey milk, and Javi. What brings you three to my morgue _without _Beckett?" she asked. "Castle, you wanna explain?" Ryan asked. "Sure," Castle replied before he began to explain everything he just told the boys.

"Wow Castle, you've got it bad for Beckett. That's quite a situation. I'll do it, anything to protect my girl," she replied when he finished. Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie all watched as Castle turned a light shade of red before he cleared his throat and said, "Okay, thanks Lanie. C'mon guys, let's get food and feed Beckett."


	9. Arguments Over Chinese

**A/N: I know guys; I suck for not updating sooner. Like most of you guys, I've been caught up with school and my annoying parents. I thought I should try to update before the premiere airs. Enjoy and please review (feel free to drop any suggestions).**

Chapter 8

Beckett was analyzing the call in her head. He was obviously a pro if he knew her playbook. What bothered her most was a line he said. She had this strange feeling that the 'I'm the person you are searching for' has a hidden meaning.

She sighed and sat down. She was over-analyzing this. She grabbed a handful of M&Ms from her bowl before popping them in her mouth.

Why would they call _her _for the ransom call? Shouldn't Castle be the one on the receiving end? What was the call he took in the morning all about if it wasn't the ransom call? Why was she asking so many questions?

She was beginning to think this is more than just a typical kidnapping. This is a planned attack and kidnapping Alexis was only a part of it. Something big is about to go down; she just had to figure out what.

That's when she heard her stomach growl. How long has it been since she's eaten a meal? Yeah, she should probably eat something.

As if on que, she heard the elevator ding. She turned and saw it was the boys, and they were bringing Chinese. Actually, Castle was the one carrying the take-out; Ryan and Esposito were cracking jokes behind him.

Castle spotted Beckett at her desk watching as they advanced toward her. "No, bro, the Knicks are better," Esposito argued. "Nope, the Mets are better," Ryan replied. "No, the Mets suck," Esposito said. "Knicks suck, Mets rule," Ryan said. "I know who can settle this. Castle, who's better? Knicks or Mets?" Esposito asked. "I'd have to go with Knicks, but first we need to eat. Hello Beckett," he said dropping a take-out box in front of her. "Hey Castle, thanks," she said.

"Anything new?" Ryan asked. "Uh not really. How about you guys?" she asked. "Nope, nada," Esposito said. "You did get something though, right?" Castle asked.

"The kidnapper called. Alexis is still alive though. He's a pro; he knows our playbook. He said he'll call with a ransom later," she explained. "Oh," the boys said. "Well, Ry and I will go check on that surveillance," Esposito said, grabbing a take-out box. He elbowed Ryan in the chest. "Ow! Right, surveillance," he said before following Esposito into the conference room.

Beckett took this opportunity to ask some of her questions. "What was the call this morning all about?" she asked. "What are you talking about?" he asked, looking down at his food. "The phone call you received at the scene. What was it about?" she asked again. "Why do you want to know?" he asked, his voice rising slightly. "Because _I _got the ransom call, not you. If the call wasn't about the ransom, what was it about?" she asked, putting on her poker face. "It's nothing," he said. "If it's nothing, why won't you tell me about it?" she asked.

What they didn't realize was that they created a scene. Officers and detectives were watching them fight. "Whoa, Mom and Dad are fighting. I wonder what that's all about," Esposito asked. "I don't know, but they've been a little weird nowadays. Well, weirder than usual," Ryan said. "Should we break it up?" Esposito asked. They glanced at each other before saying, "No."

"C'mon, Castle, it's a simple question. What was the phone call about?" she asked. "It was Gina, okay. She was wondering when I would submit a few more chapters for _Frozen Heat_. Happy now?" he asked.

She was just about to reply when he heard Esposito call her name. "Yeah?" she asked. "You might want to see this," Ryan said.

She and Castle got up and walked over there. "What's up?" she asked. "We think we got a shot of the kidnapper," Ryan said. "What?" she said. "Just watch," he said. Esposito pressed play. They watched as an image of a man coming out of the apartment. He paused as an image of something on the kidnapper's jacket showed up.

"That's a uniform," she stated. "Yup, the kidnapper's one of our own."


	10. Interrogation First, Then Sleep

**A/N: Hey guys, I have today off due to it being Fair Day where I live. Also, I'm sick and I can't go back to sleep, so I thought I'd bring you all a new chapter. As requested, we'll check up on Alexis. Please review and suggest.**

Chapter 9

Alexis felt the cool blade up against her throat. She dared not move for fear of getting killed. She screwed her eyes shut and chocked on her tears. She heard the man chuckle before she felt him remove the knife.

"You probably think I'm gonna kill you, don't you? Where's the fun in that?" he said. Alexis opened her eyes. "No, I'm going to wait until your father and his muse find me. Then, I'm going to kill you and make your father watch. That'll teach him to play hero," he replied, setting the knife down on some table.

"What are you going to do after that?" Alexis asked, her voice showing now emotion just like Detective Beckett taught her. "Well, until Detective Beckett does exactly what I say, I'll kill them both," he said. Even through the dimly lit room, she saw his smirk.

"Now, let me set some ground rules for you. You lie to me, bad things happen. Got it?" he asked. She forced a nod. "Good, now let's begin," he said.

She felt him grab her wrists and yank her up. She fought, but he was too strong. She was being dragged to the chair again. This time, he used a zip tie to hold her back. She noticed a series of objects lying on the table. That can't be good.

He walked over to the table and stopped in front of it. "So many choices with so little time…Hmm…Okay, we'll try this," he said, picking something up. Alexis tried very hard to hide the fear in her eyes.

"Now, what is it exactly that your father knows?" he asked. She realized he was holding a wire connected to a car battery. "I-I don't know," she says. 'Why don't I believe you?" he asked, aiming the wire towards her arm. "Now, tell me, how is it that your father is investigating the case if all the information is at the precinct?" he asked. "I don't know," she said.

She felt the wire touch her arm, the electricity burning her skin. "He has a makeshift murder board on his smart board. He keeps it there," she managed.

He pulled it away. "How does he know about Smith?" he asked. "Who?" Alexis asked. "I think you know. Has he been getting phone calls and after he won't tell you who he was talking to?" he asked. "No," she said. This time, the burn was on her wounded shoulder.

"HE GOT A CALL AFTER DETECTIVE BECKETT GOT SHOT, AND WHEN THE MAYOR GOT ACCUSED OF MURDER!" she screamed. Again, he pulled it away. "Here's something I don't get. Why would your dad do something stupid like this for his muse?" he asked. Alexis paused and didn't reply. "The bastard's in love with her isn't he?" he asked. "I'm right, aren't I? I can see it all over your face. Why the hell hasn't he tapped her yet?" he asked. Alexis didn't reply, instead she cringed at the thought of her dad doing it with Detective Beckett. That was another thing she didn't want to see _ever._

"Even though I have to kill her, Kate Beckett's kind of hot. Man, she could be a model or something. If I were your dad, I would've jumped her the minute I laid eyes on her. Oh well. I can see this is torture to you, me talking about your dad and his muse and all. I'm gonna take a little break; let you think about it a bit. Then, I'll come back and then we'll talk," he said.

He set the battery down on the table along with the wire. Alexis watched as he disappeared into that doorway. She struggled against the zip ties, but that only made her shoulder burn from pain. The zip ties would be hard to cut. Maybe if she can move her hands?

Alexis tried to reach up to catch the part where it ties with her hands, but it was too high up. She sighed dejectedly before relaxing her hands. She blew a piece of hair out of her face.

She wondered what Detective Beckett and her father were doing. She'd never admit this out loud, but she secretly wants for them to get together. Even though things between them are a little rocky now, she wants them to get together. Whatever secret Detective Beckett is keeping from her dad, she hopes that they talk about it.

Dr. Parish often told stories about them while they're working in the morgue. All of them are funny and sweet, but they never talked about any of it. She and Lanie agree that they need to open their eyes and see what's right in front of them

Alexis was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door open. She didn't register the foot-steps walking towards her. She noticed a small pinch in her neck before it went away. Then she began to feel dizzy and sleepy. The last thing she remembered was a dark figure before everything went black.


	11. A Whole New Arrangment

**A/N: Okay guys, last night I had a stroke of inspiration, but then I passed out. Anyway, today I give you a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it because I wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not. Tell me what you think, so I know I'm doing this right. **

Chapter 10

They stared at the screen with shocked faces. Sure enough, they saw the figure wearing the familiar rookie blue uniform. There was no clear shot of his face since his hat was in the way.

"Call Gates in here," Beckett ordered, her eyes never leaving the still. "Right away, boss," Esposito said, exiting the room. "I'm gonna go get-some coffee," Ryan stammered, leaving Castle and Beckett alone.

"Do you recognize him?"

Beckett turned to face Castle. "What?" she asked. "The guy. Do you know who he is?" he asked. "No, but the academy just sent over a wave of fresh new recruits. He might be one of them," she said, moving to lean against the table. She was sitting close to him, but she left a good deal of distance between them.

She heard him sigh in defeat before he dug his face in his hands. "Hey," she said. She waited until he looked up at her. She almost gasped at the sight of him. He looked like a different person. Instead of the usual 9-year-old-on-a-sugar-rush look, he had a sad, tired, worried, and depressed look on his face. She put away the urge to reach over and kiss away the worry from his face.

"We're going to catch this guy. Alexis is going to be okay. I promise you; we're going to find her," she whispered, pouring as much reassurance in her voice as she could manage. He ghosted a smile on his face. Their gaze remained locked for a while until they heard Ryan say, "Hey."

They looked up and saw Ryan, Esposito, and Gates standing in the doorway. "Are we interrupting?" Esposito asked. "No," they both replied at the same time. "O-kay," Ryan said.

"W-what did you find, Detective Beckett," Gates asked, ending the awkward moment. Beckett turned back to the screen and said, "Ryan was scanning the security feed and found out that the kidnapper is one of our rookies." "What? How can you tell?" Gates asked her face filled with shock. "The patch on his left sleeve is the one on the uniform jackets, and you can vaguely see the identification on the front of his jacket," Beckett explained. "Okay, have Tec try to get a better view of the identification part. Then, run it through the database if they get it," Gates said. "Alright, but we won't get results until morning," Ryan stated. "Send it to them, and then go home," she replied. "Yes sir," Ryan and Esposito said before heading off to do just that.

Castle and Beckett exited the conference room. Castle walked towards his chair to grab his jacket and keys. He was just about to leave when Gates said, "Mr. Castle, hold up one moment," stopping him in his tracks. He turned to face the captain asking, "Yes, sir?"

"You are aware that your apartment is currently a crime scene, correct?" she asked. "Yes sir, I am well aware of that," he replied. "With the current circumstances, you cannot stay there, yet you cannot be without a security detail in case they try to come for you or your mother," she stated. "What are you suggesting, sir?" he asked. "I'm not suggesting. I'm ordering you and your mother to stay with Detective Beckett until this case is solved," Gates said.

Beckett froze. She what?

"But sir-" "No buts, Mr. Castle. The order has been given. You and your mother shall stay with Detective Beckett, and that is final. Detective Beckett, escort Mr. Castle to his loft so that he and his mother can pack for a few days. I will see you both in the morning," Gates said, leaving to her office.

Ryan and Esposito were leaning against the conference room door smirking. "No way, bro, Mom and Dad living in the same apartment? This case just keeps getting better and better. 10 on Beckett killing him before the case is over," Esposito said. "You're on. Wait till Lanie hears about this!" Ryan exclaimed, ducking back inside.

Beckett just stared at Castle with a shocked expression on her face. _Oh shit, Castle AND Martha living in my apartment? This is going to be really interesting…_

Castle cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Lead the way, Detective Beckett."


	12. Those Awkward Moments

**A/N: Whoo! Yeah, I got Castle and Beckett to live in the same space. I had to do another chapter, so you get two chapters today. I hope I'm doing okay with this story line. Please review.**

Chapter 11

The ride over to Castle loft was silent. The only sound in the Crown Vic was the radio. It was playing "Crash and Burn" by Lifehouse which did not help settle the awkwardness.

Beckett parked in the garage of the building. They both got out and headed to the elevator. Castle pressed the button of his floor, and they both watched the doors close. The ascend was silent, both watching the numbers change.

The doors opened up to his floor. Castle got out first and fished his key out of his jacket pocket. He slid the key into the lock, turned it, and opened the door, allowing Beckett to go in before him. They saw Martha sitting at the kitchen island with a glass of wine in her hand, eating something in a plastic container.

"Richard, Kate, hello darlings," she greeted. She waved them over, "Kate, darling, are you staying over?"

"Uh, no, Martha, I'm not staying. I actually need you to go pack a bag," Beckett replied. "What for?" Martha asked. "We need to go stay over at Beckett's apartment, Mother. Captain's orders," Castle replied. "Oh, alright, darling, I'll be right back. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen," Martha replied, setting the wine glass in the sink and putting the container in the fridge.

"I-I should go pack," Castle stuttered. He turned and headed towards his office. Beckett didn't really have much of an appetite, so she just sat down and waited. She looked over to a table by the door. She got up, curious to see the photographs on it.

She smiled as she gazed at them. One was of a young Alexis in grey scale. She looked so adorable. Another was of Martha with her arms around Castle who was sitting on a chair with a sly smile on his face. Beckett stifled a laugh at that one. There was one where Castle was giving Alexis a piggy back ride in what she assumed was the Hamptons. They looked so happy and adorable. The last one was of Alexis and Castle sitting on the couch, laughing and smiling at the camera holding something.

She heard footsteps on the stairs. She turned and saw Martha descending the stairs, a blue suitcase and a matching makeup bag in both hands. Martha smiled at her before she set her bags down. "Ready to go?" Beckett asked. "Yes darling. Where is that son of mine? RICHARD, WE'RE READY TO GO! PLEASE HURRY!" Martha yelled out. "Hold up, just closing my suitcase. Be there in a bit," he replied.

Castle emerged from his office lugging a black suitcase along with his laptop case. He looked over towards his mother's luggage and sighed. "Mother, did you have to bring your makeup bag?"

"Why yes I had to, Richard! What girl goes anywhere without her makeup bag? Am I right, Kate?" Martha asked. "I'm going to stay out of this. You guys ready to go?" Beckett asked. They both nodded. "Okay, let's go."

The drive to her apartment took a lot longer than usual due to the traffic. Martha tried to engage in small talk which filled the silence. Castle was playing Angry Birds on his phone.

Finally they reached their destination. Beckett parked the car in her parking space. They all got out, and Castle got the luggage from the trunk. They headed inside the lobby, saying hello to the doorman. They boarded the elevator, Beckett pressed the button to her floor, and they waited.

The doors opened and a wave of water splashed onto their shoes. "What the hell?" Castle asked, lifting up the luggage to prevent it from getting wet. "I don't know, but my apartment better not be flooded or else I'm gonna murder Bobby," Beckett stated, heading to her apartment. She slid the key into the lock, turned it, and pushed the door open. A wave of water hit her face, dousing her from head to toe. "Shit!" she yelled, coughing up water. She grabbed her phone from her pocket, hit number 7 on her speed dial, and waited. "Robert Valdez, how may I assist you?" a drunken voice. "Bobby, what the fuck happened to my apartment!?" she asked. "Detective Beckett, how nice to hear from you again. I forgot to mention that a pipe broke on your floor, so your apartment's flooded," he replied. "THEN FIX THE DAMN PIPE!" she yelled. "I'm sorry, but the plumber won't arrive till next week. He's on vacation in Fiji I believe," Bobby replied. "THEN GET ANOTHER FUCKING PLUMBER!" she yelled back. "I'm sorry, but Jimmy Kimmel is coming on next. I heard that Nathan Fillion guy is gonna be on there tonight. I've got to go, bye," he said. "NO DON'T HANG UP ON ME!" she yelled, but he'd already hung up.

"Aw fuck, stupid lazy son of a bitch apartment manager," she cursed. "I'm guessing your apartment will stay flooded for a while?" Castle asked. "What do you think?" she asked, glaring at him. "What are you gonna do?" he asked.

She ignored him and hit speed dial number 3 on her phone instead. She waited until she heard a familiar voice ask, "Hello?" "Hey dad, did I wake you?" she asked. "No, I've been up. What's up, Katie?" her father asked. "Yeah, my apartment's flooded. Can I stay over with you for a while?" she asked, brushing back some of her wet hair. "Sure, Katie, you're welcome to stay as long as you need to," he replied. "There's this just one catch though," she said. "What is it, Katie?" he asked. "Um, Castle and his mother have to stay with me so…" "The more the merrier. You'll explain when you come over?" he asked. "Yeah, I will. Thanks Dad, see you in a bit," she replied.

"Beckett-" "I'm gonna go in there, salvage some clothes, and then we're gonna go stay at my dad's house. You two go wait downstairs in the car," she replied. "Kate-" "Just, just go, okay?" she said. "Okay," he said, pressing the elevator for the ground floor.

Kate stepped into her apartment. She saw were the pipe broke. The water was up to her knees. She sloshed her way toward her bedroom. She stuffed some dry clothes into a black duffel bag, threw her makeup bag inside, zipped it shut, and made her way out.

Castle and Martha were waiting for her in the car. She threw the duffel bag into the trunk before she slipped into the driver's seat. She started the car, pulled onto the main road, and headed towards her dad's house.

She pulled up to the familiar house about an hour later. Castle and Martha were sleeping in their seats. She snuck a glance at Castle. He looked so adorable when he slept. He looked years younger, and he was snoring lightly. She almost hated that she had to wake him up.

"Castle, Rick, wake up," she said, shaking him lightly. "Whaa?" he asked, sitting up. "We're here. Get up," she whispered. Martha also woke up.

Castle being, well, Castle offered to carry her bag as well as his mother's. She declined seeing as he was already carrying too much. She climbed up the porch steps and rang the doorbell.

The door opened and her father came into view. "Katie," he whispered. "Hey Dad," she replied, hugging him. He pulled back, "Why are you wet?" "I had to make a pilgrimage into my apartment for clothes. You remember Castle and his mother, Martha?" she asked. "Yes, hello, Rick, Martha," he greeted. "Hello, sir," Castle replied. "Hello Jim," Martha replied. "Please call me Jim, son," her father said. "Alright, Jim, thank you for allowing us to stay in your home," Castle said. "Not a problem, Rick. Here, let me help you with those. I'll show you to your rooms, and you can get some rest," he said.

Kate put her bag in her room before she headed downstairs again. She saw her father hauling up the suitcases. "Oh don't worry Dad, I've got it," she said, grabbing the suitcases. "Alright, Katie, I'll start making hot chocolate," her dad replied. She nodded and motioned for Martha and Castle to follow her.

"Alright Martha, you can have this room. Make yourself comfortable, and meet us downstairs for hot chocolate if you want," Kate said, setting the blue suitcase and makeup bag in the room. "Thank you Kate, darling," Martha said before closing the door.

Kate was about to lead Castle to his room, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at his face. "Let me take my own suitcase," he whispered, smiling at her. She allowed him to take the handle. She led him to the room right beside hers. "Well, here you go. See you downstairs?" she asked. "See you in a bit," he said, closing his door.

Soon, all four of them were sitting in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate in their hands. Martha and Jim were sitting in arm chairs while Rick and Kate shared the couch. They kept a respectful distance between themselves. "So, explain to me this situation, Katie," her father asked. "Um, Castle, you want to take the lead?" she asked. "Sure. My daughter was, um, kidnapped at the loft, so Captain Gates ordered Kate to be a protective detail for my mother and me," he replied. "Oh, I hope your daughter's alright," Jim said. "I do to," Rick mumbled.

Then Kate sneezed. Everyone said, "Bless you." "I'm sorry; I really should go take a shower and then sleep. Tomorrow's a busy day," she said, getting up. "I should get some sleep too," Rick also said, getting up as well. They both headed towards the kitchen to set their mugs in the sink.

Martha and Jim also followed them upstairs. Rick and Kate were about to head into their respective rooms when they bumped into each other. Kate accidentally grabbed Rick's arms to keep from stumbling. Rick grabbed Kate's waist to prevent himself from falling. After muttering a few apologizes, they looked into each other's eyes. Their eyes were locked in an intense gaze. Rick brushed a piece of hair from Kate's face. They would've stayed like that until they realized how close they were to each other. Kate pulled free from his grasp.

"I should go. It's late," she said, opening the door to her room. "Kate," he whispered. "Goodnight, Rick," she replied, smiling, before she closed the door.


	13. Memories

**A/N: Hey guys, I made an effort to write you guys a chapter. I'll try to update every weekend since my weekdays are busy. I might update on 10/22 also since there's no Castle (stupid presidential debate…). Anyway, enjoy and please review as they mean so much to me (suggestions are always welcome).**

Chapter 12

She dreamt about the shooting again. She felt the bullet pierce her chest as it lodged itself in. She felt Castle tackle her. She saw him staring at her with those blue eyes of his filled with tears and shining with love. _"Kate, stay with me. Stay with me okay? Kate, I love you. I love you Kate." _Then she drifted into unconsciousness.

The next part went by so fast. She knew she was being rushed down a hall in the hospital. Lanie was hovering over her. _"Don't you die on me! Do not die! C'mon girl!" _Then she felt the scalpel cut into her skin. She vaguely remembered blood streaming out of her left side. After that, she had no memory of the surgery.

All she remembered next was waking up to her father by her side. She had a fuzzy memory of Castle standing in the doorway, but she was too weak to stay awake. When she regained enough strength, Josh came to visit her. It was awkward since Castle's words still lingered in the back of her mind. That's when the man himself walked in looking ridiculously handsome, carrying flowers in his hands. She noticed there was some sort of tension between them. She later found out that Josh had assaulted Castle from Esposito.

Her conversation with Castle was what made this memory even more painful for her. She had lied to him about remembering, and she noticed the look of hurt in his eyes when she told him she didn't remember anything. Then, like the coward she was, she pushed him away for three months.

Her dream shifted. Now, Castle stood before her, and he did not look happy. _"All this time, you remembered everything? You didn't care to tell me about it? Instead you just run away and hide. You know what; you're a coward, Kate Beckett. You run when things get too close to breaching that damn wall of yours. We could've been together years ago, but instead you push me away. I'm tired of waiting. We're done." _He walks away, and she's trying desperately to catch up to him. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was for lying, how she was just healing, how she wanted to be better for him, and more importantly, how madly in love she was with him. But he was gone.

Kate bolted up in her bed. She was sweating and clutching at the bed covers. _Just a dream… _she thought. She uncurled from her fetal position, laid her head back down on her pillow, smoothed out the covers, and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come soon.

However, sleep wouldn't come. She tossed and turned until she finally gave up. She pulled off the covers and got up. She slipped on her rob over the oversized NYPD t-shirt she was wearing before she headed out her bedroom door.

She walked quietly down the main hall trying to avoid waking anyone. She carefully descended down the stairs. It wasn't until she was on the bottom step that she noticed a light in the living room.

"Hello darling, care for some tea?" Martha asked. "Yes please," Kate said. She watched as Martha poured some water into a mug before handing it to Kate whom was sitting down on the couch.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's keeping you up?" Martha asked sitting down to Kate's left. Martha noticed the look of surprise flash on Kate's face before she laughed. "Oh darling, mothers know these things. When Richard was little, I often found him in the living room curled up on the couch, and I knew he had a nightmare. What's troubling you, dear?" Martha asked again.

Kate sighed. It was no use hiding anything from Martha. Castle was right; she did have Jedi mind tricks.

"My shooting," Kate simply replied, taking a small sip of her tea before setting the mug down on the coffee table. "Ah, so you're remembering it now," Martha replied even though she knew Kate had remembered the shooting long ago.

"Can I tell you something?" she asked. "Oh course darling. You can tell me anything," Martha replied. "You have to promise not to tell any part of this conversation to Castle," Kate said suddenly become very defensive. "I promise," Martha said.

Kate relaxed after Martha promised. Then she started rambling on about how she remembered Castle telling her he loved her, how she lied to him at the hospital, how she hid away at her father's cabin for three months not bothering to call him, everything. When Kate finished, she looked over at her tea, silently waiting for Martha to comment.

Martha was surprised at how honest she was being to her. Based off what Richard told her, Kate Beckett wasn't the type of person who opens up to people. The poor girl must've really needed someone to talk to.

Martha decided to come clean. "Darling, I overheard your conversation with Dr. Parish the other day. Now, I know I have no right to eavesdrop on your "girl talk", but I couldn't help it. Based on what I've heard from that conversation and what I've observed over the past four years, you love my son as much as he loves you. I've seen Richard parade women on his arm. I've been with him through two failed marriages. Yet, out of all the women he's been with, he's never acted the way he is now. He has never waited for anyone for four years; hell, I've never seen him this happy in years. It's clear that he makes you happy as well. My question is what's holding you back?" Martha asked.

Kate paused and fidgeted with a strand of hair that has fallen out of her braid. "I don't want to lose what we have," she whispered. "What is it that you two have, Kate?" Martha asked. "A…friendship?" Kate said, almost like she was asking a question. "You don't seem sure. Kate, you and Richard have more than a friendship. The two of you have made that clear years ago. What are you really afraid of?" Martha asked.

"I'm afraid that we'll end up being like Lanie and Javi," Kate whispered. "Well, at least they gave it a shot. So maybe you two won't work out. He'll still follow you around. You won't get rid of him. But what if you do? You'll never know unless you give it a shot. I'm tired; I'm going back to sleep. Think about what I said. I'll see you in the morning," Martha said, getting up. She set her mug in the sink before she climbed up the stairs and disappeared.

Kate sat quietly on the couch thinking about the conversation she just had with Martha. Kate got up and walked over to her purse. She dub around until she found what she was looking for and pulled it out. She walked back to the couch, sat down, and set the object in front of her.

It was a book. The book was old, and the pages were slightly burned since it was in the explosion of her old apartment. The title of the book was _Storm Rising_. It was one of Castle's, his Derrick Storm series to be exact.

_She remembered waiting in line for hours just to get this signed. Her mother loved his books, and since she was just murdered, Kate wanted to find a way to feel connected with her somehow. _

_ She'd finally reached the front of the line. Alexis was only six years old then. Kate remembered seeing her sitting on the floor a short distance from her father, drawing on a piece of paper. She was wearing a colorful sweater, jeans, brown boots, and her hair was loose. She remembered Castle smiling smugly at her as he took her book. He was wearing a black turtleneck and a brown leather jacket. "Daddy, daddy, look what I made!" Alexis had exclaimed, handing Castle the piece of paper. "See! That's you and me playing laser tag!" she explained. _

Kate laughed at that part of the memory. Even at six, Alexis was playing laser tag with Castle. Only Castle would train his kid to shoot a laser gun at a young age.

_"Oh it's beautiful, Pumpkin, thank you," Castle said, smiling down at his daughter. Kate watched Alexis blush and reply, "Your welcome, daddy." _

_ Kate saw a woman whom she now knew was Paula walk up to Rick and whispered loud enough for even Kate to hear, "Your kid's sweet and everything, but people are here for you to sign books, not play daddy." Kate wanted to slap Paula right then, but she restrained herself from doing do since there was a security guard thirty yards away. Paula left, and Castle told Alexis, "Pumpkin, why don't you go wait over there by Grams? Daddy was to work now for a couple more hours. After that, I'll take you out for ice cream." _

_ "Okay daddy," Alexis said, picking up her stuff and heading over to where Martha was sitting. Kate saw a pang of guilt cross over his face before he turned back towards her with his cocky grin. "Sorry about that," he said. "No problem. Your kid seems great," she replied. "Center of my universe," he replied. "Must be hard on the both of you, juggling work and taking care of a kid," she said. "You have no idea. Who should I make it out to?" he asked, changing the subject. Kate was about to ask why when she noticed Paula glaring at their direction. Oops. _

_ "Kate," she replied. "Kate; that's a nice name," he replied, scribbling something inside the book. "Thanks," she simply replied. _

_ "Here you go Kate. Thanks for coming out to the signing. Maybe I'll see you again, someday," he said, smiling up at her. This time, it was genuine and not the one he reserved for most fans. "Maybe you will. Depends on how fast you write," she joked. He laughed then, "Well, in that case, I might actually make my deadline on time. It was nice meeting you, Kate." "Likewise, Mr. Castle." "Call me Rick," he replied. She gave him a small smile, the first since her mother's death, before she walked away._

Kate smiled. Except the time when she and Will waited for hours in line to get a book signed, she never saw him again until the Tisdale case. She opened the book to the page where he had signed it thirteen years ago.

_To Kate,_

_The mystery I will never solve, but I'll sure as hell try anyway._

_-Richard Castle_

Now, she wondered whether he knew what he wrote when they were in that hotel room in L.A. Had he known they'd "met" at a signing, or was it a pure coincidence? Kate's eyelids slowly became heavy, and soon she was asleep, _Storm Rising_still clutched in her hand.

**A/N: I thought I'd do a Beckett/Martha scene this chapter. Also, I wasn't originally planning the book signing memory, but it sort of wrote itself. What do you guys think? Please review so that I know if I'm doing this right or not. Also, what should the next chapter be about? Should I continue with this scene, or should we check up on Alexis? I don't know, but you guys tell me what I should do. **


	14. Shocking Revelations

**A/N: Inspiration strikes again! That means you guys get another chapter. Yay! Based on the suggestion made by racheybabe, here's what happens when Castle wakes up to find his detective sleeping on the couch. Enjoy and please review (depending on how this chapter goes, I might do a chapter on Alexis next).**

Chapter 13

He dreamt about the shooting. Only in his version, he couldn't save her. Sure, he tackled her and they rushed to the hospital, but she died in surgery.

He bolted up in his bed, grasping the sheets. A layer of sweat covered his forehead. Rick released his iron grip on the sheets to wipe at the sweat. "It was just a dream, Ricky," he whispered to himself.

The dream kept nagging at him. He finally gave up and decided to go downstairs to get a hot beverage. He figured he was alright walking around in a white t-shirt and boxers since he figured no one would be up. He opened his door and headed down the stairs.

A light was on in the living room. Odd; who'd be up at… (He looked at the blinking wall clock) 1 am? He quietly made his way towards the light so that he wouldn't startle whoever was up.

What he found was Kate Beckett slumped over on the couch sleeping. She looked ridiculously adorable. He noticed a mug on the table. It was tea, and she must've been up a while ago since it was cold.

He finally noticed something in her hand. He carefully pried it out of her grip. All she did was mumble something he couldn't understand before it was silent again. He examined the object next.

It was a book. With a shock, he realized it was _Storm Rising__. _The edges of the book were slightly charred. He knew she was a fan, but why did she keep this from the explosion?

It must have a special meaning to her somehow. That's the only reason he could come up with on why she kept it. He carefully opened up the book.

He flipped through the pages until he noticed writing in it. Ah ha! That's why she kept it! It's because he had signed it to her!

He brought up the book to the light so he could get a better look at what he wrote.

_To Kate,_

_The mystery I will never solve, but I'll sure as hell try anyway._

_-Richard Castle _

Hmm… He wrote _Storm Rising_ 13 years ago. That corresponded with her mother's murder. He wracked his brain trying to remember when he'd signed this, but he came up with nothing.

He decided he should take Kate back to her room. He thought about waking her, but she looked so peaceful. So, he decided just to carry her. He tucked the book under his arm, before he slowly lifted Kate's body into his arms. He let her head rest on his shoulder as he slowly walked back upstairs.

He gently pushed the door to her bedroom open. He then shuffled over to the bed before gently laying her down. He pulled the covers over her, and he placed the book down on the bedside table. He brushed strands of hair out of her face. He resisted the urge to kiss her forehead, and then he made his way to the door.

"Castle," Kate called. He stopped and turned. She was sitting up looking at him. "Yes, Kate?" he asked, running a hand through his bed hair. "C'mere," she said her voice husky from sleep.

He walked over and sat down in the space beside her. "What do you want, Kate? You should sleep," he said. "Wanna explain," she replied. "Explain what?" he asked silently hopping she'd talk about the shooting. "The book." "Oh, okay," he said, hiding the wave of sadness in his voice.

"My mom waz just murdered. She loved your books. Wanted to have a way to feel connected with her somehow. Waited in line for you to sign it. Came up to the table. You had that cocky smile on your face. 'Lexis waz coloring in a corner. Came up to you an' gave you the drawing. You smiled an' thanked her. Paula yelled at you. You sent 'Lexis to Martha. Apologized for 'Lexis being there. I said it wazn' a problem. Said she seemed great. Replied she waz the center of your 'verse. I said it must be hard to juggle it all. Replied that I had no idea. Asked for ma name. Said it waz nice after I told you. Thanked me for comin' to the signing. Said you might see me again someday. Smiled at me real genuine, not the cocky one you usually give. Teased that it depends on how fast you write. Told me back that you might actually make your deadline. Said it was nice to meet me. Replied the same. Told me to call you Rick. Smiled the first time since ma momma's murder. Then I left an' didn't see you till Will took me to 'nother signin'. That's the story," she said.

"I remembered now. Did I really make you smile?" he whispered so quietly that Kate almost couldn't hear. "Yes. Made me laugh for the first time since the murder. Daddy waz wonderin' why I was smilin' when I got home," she replied.

"Huh…who would've thought I'd be right?" he asked. Kate hummed in replied. "I should go. You should get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?" he said, getting up.

Kate stopped him by grabbing his hand. He turned and faced her. "Stay," she whispered. "Kate, I don't think I should-" "Please?" she pleaded.

He finally noticed how shaken up she looked. She must've had a nightmare which was why she was on the couch downstairs. She didn't want to be alone, and honestly, he didn't either. "Alright," he replied.

Kate scooted over to give him space to lie down. He climbed in and pulled the covers over himself. He left space between them as to not break any boundaries. He then felt Kate curl up into his side. He felt her grab his arm and put it around her waist before she rested her head on his chest. "Night Rick," she whispered. "Good night, Kate," he replied, risking a kiss on her forehead. She didn't punch him, so he knew he was safe. "Love you," she whispered before her breathing changed and she was asleep.


	15. All Alone?

**UPDATE: I was serious about the 'tell me what to do' part. I'm not gonna update till I have suggestions. Just thought you'd know. **

**A/N: I know that I am so cruel to you guys. I know I promised to do a chapter earlier in the week, but school caught up with me. I try to update, but then my mom takes my laptop and tells me to go to sleep. Anyway, I know I dropped a big bombshell last chapter. I've decided to give this chapter to Alexis partially so I can figure out what to do about the L-bomb Kate dropped, and partially because Caskett can't hog up all the chapters! Drop any suggestions on what you want me to do. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

A bright light blazed into her eyes when she opened them. She squinted and turned away. Her head was pounding, and her neck hurts a little. She remembered feeling a pinch on it before things went black.

She knew she was injected with some sort of drug. As part of her internship, Lanie taught her the different drugs and what they'd do to you if you got them in your system. Alexis tried to remember what she'd learned, but the pounding in her head made it impossible to think.

She realized her arms and legs were untied. She tried to get up, but she immediately went back down. She saw a glass of water on her right. She took a tentative sip to see if it was spiked or something, but then she gulped it down until the glass was empty.

She could get up now. She realized she was on some sort of bed that was oddly comfortable. She swung her legs over the side and stood.

The light hovering over the bed made things in the room a little bit clearer to see. There was nothing there except a mirror, a stack of clothes, and books of sorts. Alexis went to the mirror first to see what kind of wounds she had.

Her shoulder wound was bandaged which explained why she didn't wince when she got up. Her face had cuts and a variety of bruises all the colors of the rainbow. Other than that, she appeared okay.

She then picked out a few things from the clothes pile. She went into a dark corner to change just in case someone was watching her. She changed into a navy blue sweater, jeans, her jacket, and black flats.

She soon grew bored, so she decided to rummage through the book pile. She figured none of them were written by her dad.

There was the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, and the two books in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. Since she'd already read the first three, she decided to read Divergent. Her friend Taylor told her it was a really good book, so what the hell?

As she dove into the world that was Divergent, she was wondering when the kidnappers would come back. They had said they'd eventually come back. Since she wasn't tied up, she figured she was in a room with a hard to find exit.

Maybe she could find it. After all, she did have her father's way of finding things. She marked the page she was on and set the book down. She got up and started examining the room.

She banged on walls checking to see if they were hollow. So far, she came up with nothing until she heard a voice on the other side. She stopped and listened.

"Hello? Is there anyone there?"

Alexis tried to find some sort of hidden door or something. She kicked the wall in frustration and dug her hands in her pocket. She winced when something sharp sliced her finger. She pulled out the offending object. It was a piece of glass from the picture frame.

Wait, this thing was sharp. She could cut a hole in the wall! She heard about how her dad and Beckett cut through a wall with knives and Beckett's shoes. A tiger had been on the other side, but they still managed to cut it. How different could it be?  
After a while of sawing at the wall, Alexis sat the glass shard down and kicked the wall in frustration. That seemed to do the trick.

The wall crumbled and left a pretty good gap through it. It was large enough for her to crawl through it. She slipped the shard in her pocket just in case there was danger ahead. She then slowly crawled through.

Alexis came up to a wall a few minutes later. She heard a sound on the other side. It sounded human, not a growl. It wasn't the kidnapper's voice because this wasn't deep enough. That meant Alexis wasn't the only one here.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" she asked, banging on the wall. "Yes, I can hear you. Where are you?" the voice replied. "On the other side of the wall. Stand back and I'll bust through it," Alexis replied. She heard a scuffle of feet before she began sawing the wall.

She pushed the square out and slipped into the room. It was similar to hers, but this one smelt a little older. The person whom this room belongs to must've been here a while.

Alexis turned and saw a figure. She was a woman like she'd guessed. She was older, maybe in her 60s or 70s. She had long brown hair streaked with grey. Her eyes were brown. She wore a blue collared shirt and suit pants. She looked oddly familiar for some reason, yet Alexis was sure she'd never seen her before in her life…

**A/N: I know it's short, but this felt like a good place to end it. This is my midnight writing after a tiresome school day, so don't judge too harshly. Again, tell me what I should do about Caskett. The sooner you do, the sooner the update. Thanks for your help! :)**


	16. Work Dinner

**A/N: Alright folks, I had the urge to write this weekend, but I still have no clue what to do about the Caskett dilemma right now, so I thought it'd be nice to have a chapter with Ryposito, Lanie, and Jenny. If you guys really want another chapter sooner, you could drop me a line on what to do about our OTP. (I'm being serious in case you can't tell.)**

Chapter 15

"Why does New York have so many goddamn cops?" Ryan asked while looking at the screen of his computer. "Don't know, why?" Espo asked. "'Cause when you're trying to find one friggin' cop, it's like finding a needle in a needle stack," Ryan said.

"Couldn't you get a better shot of the identification on his uniform?" Espo asked. "Hmm, I didn't think of that, Javi. No, man, it's too blurry to see. The guy might've been stupid enough to wear his uniform to a kidnapping, but he was smart enough to keep the identification hidden," Ryan said, knocking a book off his desk.

"Look, we'll figure it out. We owe it to Castle. Plus, maybe we'll guilt him into letting us borrow his Ferrari if we stay here all night," Espo said. Ryan smiled and said, "Well, my cousins who used to beat me up a lot when we were kids are going to be visiting soon. It might be nice to show up driving the Ferrari…"

"There's the Ryan we all know and love. Now, how 'bout some dinner?" Espo asked. "We're we gonna get dinner at 10:47 pm?" Ryan asked.

"Well, hello to you too, Detective Ryan." The two detectives looked up. Lanie Parish and Jenny Ryan walked towards them each carrying a bag. "Hey," Ryan said, hugging his wife while she kissed his cheek. "Dr. Parish," Espo greeted, nodding his head in greeting. "Detective Esposito," Lanie replied.

"Cut the act, guys, everyone knows you guys are "friends with benefits" now," Ryan said. "Who knows?" they both asked. "Castle, Beckett, pretty much the whole precinct and morgue," Ryan replied. "Damn," Lanie and Espo both swore. "Yeah, you even got a couple's name. Castle invented it when you two first started dating, and it kind of stuck. I believe its 'Esplaine' because you're always explaining things. At least that's what Castle says anyway," Ryan replied.

"The bastard," Lanie and Espo said. "Anyway, let's eat. I'm hungry. The computer's gonna take a while to sort through everyone until it's come up with matches based on facial recognition anyway. Let's move this party to the conference room," Ryan said.

Everyone sat at the table where they'd usually eat if they had to stay late at the precinct or if they were swarmed and couldn't leave for lunch. The girls had picked up some Chinese and brought a bottle of red wine. They were lucky Gates wasn't here, or she'd get mad saying alcohol wasn't allowed in her precinct.

"So, what's going on with our favorite duo?" Lanie asked, taking a bite of her orange chicken. "Well, Gates just ordered Beckett to be Castle's detail, so his mother and he are rooming with Beckett now," Espo said. "No way! Is this for real?" Lanie asked. "Yup, we saw and heard the whole thing from the break room. We've spread the word, and we started a pool on whether Beckett's kill Castle or not," Ryan replied, taking a carton of noodles.

"I want in," Lanie said, handing Ryan a twenty. "Alright, spread the word around the morgue," Ryan said. "Count on it. My next question is how are they as partners now? There's been some friction between them recently," Lanie said, drinking some wine.

"Mom and Dad are still acting weird. Well, weirder than usual anyway," Espo said, eating an eggroll. "I know I'm a little late, but what exactly is going on with Castle and Beckett anyway?" Jenny asked.

"Well, it all started with that Boylan Plaza case I told you about. One minute, Castle's looking for Beckett. We told him she's in interrogation. He went in there, and when he came out-" Ryan said. Espo continued, "-he's all pissed off and says something about needing to go do something. After that, things started to get stiff between them. The same Mom and Dad crime solving duo just wasn't there anymore. Whatever happened in there is what caused this. Lanie, you talked to Beckett today, right?"

Lanie had remained quiet while they talked. She set her chop sticks down. After taking a sip of wine, she said, "I learned some very valuable information while talking with our girl today." "Well, don't leave us hanging, Lanie, what is it?" Ryan asked. "It's about her shooting," Lanie said. Everyone stopped eating. "Everybody knows that when Beckett was shot, Castle tackled her, right?" Lanie asked. Everyone nodded and Jenny asked, "What does her shooting have to do with what's happening now?" "I'm getting to that. Apparently, Beckett was conscious for a little while before they took her to the hospital. During that time, according to her, Castle told her he loved her. When he asked her if she remembered anything, she said no when she really did remember everything. I think she might've let something slip in the interrogation room not knowing he was on the other side of the mirror," Lanie finished.

Everyone was quiet. "So that's why Dad's acting cold. I would be too if I were in his shoes," Espo said. "What did you do when you found out?" Jenny asked. "I told her to tell him how she felt before it's too late," she replied. "What'd she say?" Ryan asked. "She said she will-after the case. Looks like no one's gonna win the bet until we solve this thing," Lanie replied.

"They better get together soon. I have them for Friday," Espo said. "I have them for next Monday," Ryan said.

Ryan's computer beeped. It found a match. "Whoa, looks like somebody decided to speed up," Ryan said, setting down his carton and heading to his computer.

Esposito followed him. He clicked on the name and the mug shot popped up. Ryan exclaimed, "Son of a bitch…"


	17. Secrets Are Like Time Bombs

**A/N: Alright, the chapter you've all been waiting for! Back to Caskett again! Thanks to Na & Guest (you know who you guys are) for the ideas. Enjoy and please review. Happy writer=quicker update. (P.S. Very sorry about not updating sooner. I had to do a project last weekend, and I had tests all this week. Also, I had Always in mind writing this.)**

**As usual, I don't own these wonderful characters or any plots of episodes. I'm just borrowing them.**

Chapter 16

As soon as he was sure she was asleep, Castle slowly got out of the bed, careful not to wake her. Right now, he couldn't afford to be with her right now, not after what happened in the Boylan Plaza case or what she just said. He pulled the blankets over her since it was slightly cold in the room. He was careful not to make too much noise as he made his way out of the room and towards his own next door.

He sighed and climbed into his bed. Despite how soft the bed was (seriously, it's like a cloud), his thoughts prevented him from sleeping. Of course, he was worried about Alexis. Any parent would be. However, right now he was thinking about Kate.

He couldn't seem to get her out of his head. No matter what he was doing or how hard he tried, he couldn't rid her of his mind. She even haunted his dreams.

He still remembers when she uttered the words in that interrogation room. _"I was shot in the chest, and I remember every second of it!" _He remembered storming out to talk to his mom about this. He gave her the cold shoulder as a sort of punishment for lying to him.

The sun began to rise a few hours later. He was relieved to have an excuse to get up. All he did was stare at the ceiling remembering what happened the last few months.

Beckett woke up to an empty bed. Castle must've left sometime during the night. Judging by the sheets, he left hours ago.

She sighed and got up. A shower might do her some good before she had to go to the precinct. Add a cup of coffee and a decent breakfast and she'll be fine.

Kate rid herself of her clothes before stepping into the shower. She'd set the water to being extremely hot. She felt it burning on her skin, but she didn't care. She lathered some shampoo on her hair, rubbed some cherry scented body wash all over herself (since it was Castle's favorite), and let the water rinse the soap off.

As much as she didn't want the shower to end, she eventually shut off the water and stepped out. She dried herself off with a towel before she ran a brush through her hair. She started yanking out a tangle at the back of her hair. Ow.

Castle tried to be productive and write, but nothing would come out on the page. He closed the laptop and put it away in defeat. He really needed to talk to her. He needed to know where they stood and how she felt. He'll talk to her-after he took a shower.

He stripped off his clothes, throwing them in the laundry basket in the corner. He got his duffel bag and tossed it on the bed. He rummaged through it until he found a nice shirt, jeans, boxers, and socks before taking his little pile into the bathroom

He wasn't aware the bathroom already had an occupant. He should've figured it out by hearing someone softly singing beautifully. He would've avoided this situation.

A very wet and naked Kate Beckett was standing in front of the mirror, brushing her hair. She was singing "Lights" by Ellie Goulding, and her voice was like those sirens from the myths. Her hair masked him from seeing anything in the front end, but he had a very clear shot of her hindquarters.

Cop instincts had Beckett sensing there was someone in the room. She casually set the brush on the counter. She tucked strands of hair out of her face so that she could get a better view of whoever it was.

She yelped. It was Castle. She quickly grabbed her robe and threw it on before turning to face him with a very startled look on her face.

He looked very uncomfortable, looking directly in her eyes like a kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. He had a stack of clothes tucked under his arm. That's when she noticed he wasn't wearing a stitch. Since Kate was a head shorter than him without her heels, she had a very clear shot of his manhood without even trying to look at it.

Castle was the first to move, and he quickly covered his groin with the stack of clothes. "Castle? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice slightly strained. "Uh, I was going to take a shower. I didn't know we had to share a bathroom, much less that you were in here," he replied. He looked embarrassed, and was he blushing?

"Yeah, I forgot that the rooms were designed that way. Um, I'll just go...over there now," she said, heading towards her room. "Kate, we need to talk," he said. She stopped and turned to look at him, "Take a shower first. Then come to my room, and we'll talk." With that, she disappeared into her room, leaving him standing there stupidly holding clothes.

Even after a very cold shower, he couldn't get the image of Kate Beckett's ass out of his head. This will make it very hard to have a serious conversation with her if he can't stop picturing her ass in his head.

He dried off and started to dress in the clothes he'd brought. Soon, he was dressed in a green and white plaid shirt with his Green Lantern t-shirt underneath along with jeans and the socks. He dried off his hair, not bothering to mess with it, before turning to the door leading to her bedroom.

She heard a soft knock on the door. "Are you decent?" he asked. "Yeah, come in," she replied.

He opened the door, and immediately, she thought he looked adorable. He was casual which was a relief. She'd dressed in a blue jean dress that ended at about mid-thigh along with black tights and a red belt wrapped around her waist. Her hair was pinned up. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

"Kate…there's something you need to know," he said. "Well, tell me," she said, giving him a reassuring smile. His face turned deathly serious.

"Before Montgomery went into that hangar, he sent a package to someone, someone…he trusted. It contained information damaging to the person behind all this. Montgomery was trying to protect you. But the package didn't arrive until after you'd been shot. Montgomery's friend…struck a deal with them. If they left you alone, that package and the information inside would never see the light of day. But they made one condition. You had to back off," he said.

"How do you know all this?" she asked.

"This guy contacted me and told me everything I know. He said I had to make sure you weren't pursuing it in order for the deal to work," he explained, "I was just trying to keep you safe."

"So, you're version of keeping me safe is lying to me about the most important thing in my life?" she asked, her voice breaking. "It was the only thing protecting you," he said. "I don't need protection, Rick. I need a lead, and you sat on it for a year. What's this got to do with Alexis anyway?" she asked.

"That phone call I got when we were in the loft? That was him," he replied. "W-what did he say?" she asked. "He said you needed to get off this case. They're using Alexis as bait to get to you and me," he replied.

"Why? I understand them wanting me, but why do they want you?" she asked. "They see me as a threat. They've been watching us solve cases, and they think I'm a danger to them," he said. "How do I find this guy?" she asked. "He's untraceable. Ryan looked through my phone records, and the number is from a burner phone. It was paid for in cash, and the name the store clerk gave us is bogus," he said. "Ryan knows about this?" she asked, jerking away from him.

"Esposito and Lanie know too. I had to tell them," he replied. "How the hell could you do this?" she yelled at him.

"Because I love you! But you already know that. You've known for about a year," he replied. "How-" "Boylan Plaza case. You were interrogating Bobby. You said, and I quote, 'I was shot in the chest, and I remember every second of it', unquote," he replied.

"So that's why you were acting weird…," she whispered.

"I was mad, okay? I thought you didn't tell me because you didn't feel the same way. I gave you the cold shoulder and tried to move on, but I can't get you out of my head! You're in every dream, every thought, every word, and I can even hear your voice when I'm making a decision," he replied.

"Why do this now? Why didn't you tell me? How am I supposed to trust anything that you say?" she asked.

"How are you s-Because of everything we've been through together! Four years, I've been right here! Four years just waiting for you to open your eyes and see that I'm right here, and that I'm more than a partner! Do you think I've been hanging around with you for research all this time? I have enough research to write one hundred Nikki Heats. I would've quit a long time ago if all this was just research. I keep coming back in the blind hope that you feel the same way. I go completely out of my way each morning to get you a coffee just so I can see you smile. I risk my life just to save yours not caring if I get shot or injured. I watch you be with other men, hoping you're happy, even though it's killing me inside. In the past, I got into meaningless relationships because I was scared of getting hurt again. I only married Meredith for Alexis, and then I find her in our bed with her movie producer. I married Gina because I wanted a wife, but she was married to her work more than she was to me. I only stuck around this long because what I feel for you is real. When you rejected my advances in that interrogation room, I knew you weren't like most women. I think you are the most remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating person I've ever met, and I love you, Kate. If that means anything to you, if you meant it when you said you loved me, don't do this."

"Rick, you cut a deal for my life like I was some kind of a child. It's my life, Rick. You don't get to decide," she said. "You keep going with this, they're going to decide. They're going to kill you, Kate," he said. "Let them try. They sent Coonan and Lockwood, and they're dead. I'm still here, and I am ready!" she yelled. "Ready for what? Dying for your cause? This isn't a murder investigation anymore, Kate, they've turned it into a war," he said. "They want a war? I will bring them a war, straight to their doorsteps," she replied, fighting tears.

"There really isn't anything I can say, is there?" At the shake of her head, he continued, "Okay, Kate; you're right. It's your life. You can throw it away if you want to. I'll still help with this case, but this…is over. I'm done," he said, turning to leave.

Kate watched as he went through the bathroom towards his room, slamming the door behind him.

What they didn't know was that their parents had come up to their rooms to call them down for breakfast. They were going to knock on Kate's door first when they heard them fighting. They eavesdropped until they heard a door slam.

"This is bad," Jim whispered. 


	18. A Little Advice

**A/N: I know. I really suck. I had to work on like 3 projects last weekend, and by the time I finished them, my mom was yelling at me to go to sleep. I couldn't update Monday and Tuesday because I had tests (Monday-Castle was on so…yeah. Tuesday-I passed out and didn't wake up till morning.) Wednesday and yesterday was Thanksgiving preparations, and I couldn't get to a computer. Between today and Sunday, I'll try to get at least 2 chapters posted. Enjoy and please review.**

Chapter 17

Kate Beckett didn't move from the spot on her bed. She stayed there when she heard him packing in the next room. She stayed there when she heard him talking on the phone. She stayed there when she heard something about checking into a hotel room. She stayed there when she heard him telling Martha to pack and thanking her father for allowing them to stay the night. She stayed there when she heard the front door close.

After about a minute, her mind finally realized what just happened. He was really gone. She buried her face in a pillow and started to cry. Crying then turned to sobbing uncontrollably. She broke down and let her emotions past the mask she'd worked so hard to build after her mother died.

She didn't hear her dad knock on her door. She didn't notice when he opened it. She didn't notice him asking if she was alright. She didn't notice him calling someone on his phone. She didn't hear the front door open. She didn't hear the conversation between her dad and the person he had called.

All she registered was someone telling her to look up. Kate rolled over onto her back. She blinked a few times to get a better view of the figure.

Lanie Parish's brown eyes started back at her own. Kate registered the worry shining in them. Another wave of fresh tears came.

"Hey, girl, it's okay. What happened?" she asked. Kate fought to control her tears. Soon, her sobbing turned into steady crying, and she began.

"I really fucked up," she said. "What do you mean?" Lanie asked. "He told me that he knew I remembered everything about my shooting. He said he heard me telling a suspect in the interrogation room during the Boylan Plaza case. He told me he'd been protecting me by going along with a deal this friend of Montgomery's made with the person behind all this. He said he told you guys because it had something to do with this case. We fought, and he spilled his heart out to me. He told me to choose between him and the case, and I chose wrong. Now our partnership is over, and he'll be gone after we find Alexis," she explained.

With that, whatever strength she'd managed to muster was gone. She started sobbing again. Lanie handed her a tissue box while trying to calm her down.

"I'm sorry, honey, but this is your fault. He gave you his heart, and you kind of stomped on it. He's hurt because he really loves you. It's scary how much that man loves you," Lanie said. "I know. That's why I didn't tell him. I was scared of how much he loves me, and I was even more scared of how much I love him," Kate choked out.

"Then you need to tell him that. Life's too short, Kate. We could die at any moment. The best thing you could do is follow your heart and be happy. He makes you happy, Kate. You weren't having any fun until he came around. Montgomery saw that, and that's why he agreed to let Castle shadow you. Everyone sees it except you," Lanie said.

Kate stopped crying and was only occasionally sniffling. "Thanks, Lanie," she said. "Anytime, girlfriend," she replied.

"There's just this one problem," Kate said. "What now?" Lanie asked with an annoyed tone. "Um…Castle kind of packed up and left with his mother-" "Say no more. I'll have every damn cop hunt his ass down," Lanie said. "Oh please, not everyone would want to do that," Kate scoffed. "Oh you'd be surprised. If they can do anything to help Mom and Dad get their heads out of their asses and see what's right in front of them, they'll do it," Lanie said.

Kate rolled her eyes. Lanie laughed, "Don't worry about the case. Ryan, Esposito, and I will call you if anything pops. Writer Boy's probably still pissed off right now, so give him time to cool off. Then you can come back to the precinct so that you two can talk, make out, and make beautiful babies."

Kate threw the pillow at Lanie who dodged it quickly. The look of annoyance on her face quickly turned into a small smile. Lanie said her goodbye and left.

Jim Beckett was on a roll on being a fly on the wall today. Lanie Parish came out of the room, closing the door behind her. "I'll tell the boys. You update Martha. We'll schedule a time for them to "accidentally" run into each other later," Lanie whispered. "Got it," Jim replied.

Lanie left, and Jim closed the door behind her, locking it. He fixed a cup of coffee the way Katie liked it. He took that along with her favorite smiley face pancakes upstairs to her room.

Kate heard a knock on her door and her father asking for entry. "Come in," she replied, brushing away the last of her tears. He opened the door and walked in. She noticed the tray in his hands.

"Made you breakfast. Thought you'd be hungry," he replied. "Thanks, Dad," she replied, mustering a smile and accepting the tray. She smiled a little more when she noticed that he'd made her the breakfast reserved for when she was having a bad day.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She knew he was referring to what happened with….HIM. He must've talked to him when he told him that he and his mother were leaving.

"I will be," she replied. Jim noticed the hint of sadness in his daughter's voice and eyes. He was usually the one who said the right things for any situation, always has been. Sure, Johanna was usually the one Kate went to when she was upset, but she could only help so much. He was usually the one that made Katie feel better.

"Did your mother ever tell you how we first met?" he asked. She shook her head. He chuckled before he began.

"I was about 25, and your mother was 23. It was March of 1973 when we were first met. I was transferred to this new law office as part of law school. I met with my new boss, a Samuel Bradford, who was also Grandpa's best friend. He told me that my new partner was someone named Prior-"

"Mom," Kate whispered.

He nodded. "Anyway, Sammy waved someone over. I turned and saw your mom. She was very pretty, and I had a sort of bad-boy phase then. After Sammy went to go take care of something, I tried to charm her. She just glared at me and gave me a speech on how this relationship was strictly professional and that my bad-boy thing I had going on didn't work on her. I just agreed to everything she said even though I didn't mean it.

"All through our first year working together, I was the guy who annoyed the hell out of her. We made a good team though, and I think she finally accepted me as her partner. For three years, we became really good friends. Sometimes we'd go to a bar or out to lunch going over the case we were working on. Sometime during the third year, we started going to those places without a case."

"What changed?" Kate asked.

"Well, during the second year, I realized that I loved your mother a lot. Sometime during the third year, I figured out that she loved me too. We grew even closer that fourth year. When I invited her over to my apartment for dinner on the day marking our four-year partnership anniversary, we finally admitted our feelings for each other. After that…..well, I think your old enough to figure out what happened next," he said.

"Ew…TMI," Kate said.

Jim laughed, "Anyway, we kept our relationship hidden for as long as possible. Robert Donnelly, one of our colleagues, figured it out first, and then Felix Kellerman and Mary Elizabeth Riley figured it out. Sammy found out last and didn't split our partnership because he saw how well we worked together despite being in a relationship.

"A few months later, we got married at Grandpa's cabin. Then we had you a year later," he finished.

"Why are you telling me this?" Kate asked.

"Because when you ramble on about him, I see myself and you mother. When I said you were so much like your mother, I meant it. Rick reminds me of myself," he explained.

"What? How-"

"Katie, you really don't see it, do you? You hated Rick during the first year you worked together. You two were friends ever since you forgave him for poking around your mother's case. You love him, and I know he loves you. I talked to him once when you were hunting down that man called Harold Lockwood. I saw the love he had for you in his eyes. I told you that story to make you see that everything is inevitable. Think about it and make your decision on what to do about him," he said.

Kate was kind of shocked on hearing what her father just said. She watched him leave, softly closing the door behind him. She then just stared at her untouched breakfast, her thoughts focused on Richard Castle

**A/N: So…yeah. There you go. I hope I wrote this right. Tell me what you think.**


	19. Putting the Pieces Together

**A/N: Alright Castillions, it's time to put Caskett on hold. Alexis needs her chapter now. I hope you like it. Please review and suggest.**

Chapter 18

That was when her (their?) captors decided to make an appearance. Alexis quickly climbed up back into the hole in the wall. She carefully placed the square she'd cut out back into place and grew silent.

Just in time, too. She heard a door open and the sound of three pairs of shoes. Alexis pulled out the shard of glass from her pocket just in case they found her behind the wall.

"How're you doing today?" one of them asked. Alexis recognized him as the one who "interrogated" her by the sound of his voice. "None of your damn business," she replied.

The man laughed. "Ah, you say the funniest things. Now that the pleasantries have been exchanged, let's cut right to the chase. What do you know about my employer?" he asked.

Alexis heard the sound of an electric buzz. Oh shit. He's gonna use the car battery.

Alexis heard the woman wince. "Only that he's a prominent New Yorker," she gasped out.

A prominent New Yorker… Alexis pulled a Rick Castle and analyzed the information. The curse of being the daughter of a novelist…

Someone well-known among the community… That means he's wealthy or an important person. A politician maybe?

"And?" the man prompted. God, he was such a douche. "And he's a politician," the woman gasped out.

Bingo, her guess was right. If she could just get one more helpful hint, she could figure out who was behind this. She silently pleaded for a name or something equally good.

"You must know at least a first name. C'mon, give me a name, and I'll leave you, your husband, your daughter, and her boyfriend alone," he prompted.

Daughter? Alexis assumed she was married, but she had a daughter? And apparently, her daughter had a boyfriend who was important enough for them to care. Who was this woman, and why does she feel like she's seen her before even though she's positive they've never met?

"William, that's all I know," the woman managed to say. Alexis heard the man chuckle before hearing the buzz stop. "Thank you for being so helpful today," he said. There was a pause as she heard a door open. "Oh and just so you know, I'm just gonna kill her anyway. No badge, gun, or that idiot writer tag-along can protect her now," he said before the door closed.

Alexis crawled back into her "room". She carefully placed the square back into place. She walked slowly towards the bed before lying down and curling up in the middle of it.

Alexis carefully analyzed the information she just heard. First, she thought of all the politicians in the state of New York whose first name was William. There were the mayors, but they weren't very prominent. That meant he was either a senator or a House Rep.

Not one of the representatives was named William. That meant he was a senator. There were only two, and one was named William. Senator William H. Bracken.

She needed to tell the Detectives what she'd heard. There are only two problems. One, she was being held hostage in a room in an unknown building. Two, she didn't have solid evidence.

There was one more thing to analyze before she went to sleep. Who was the woman on the other side of the wall?

She was married and had a daughter. Said daughter was a cop since the man said she had a badge and gun. He said something about a writer tag-along. She looked oddly familiar despite never meeting her…

Alexis put the pieces together. "That's not possible," she whispered. The man was talking about her dad and Detective Beckett. He must've thought her dad was Kate's boyfriend even though they weren't together as far as Alexis knew. That meant the woman on the other side of the wall was… Johanna Beckett.


	20. Explanations and A New Ally?

**A/N: As suggested by daisesndaffidols and MuseumHeistIsMyOT3, I'm going to continue with Alexis and Johanna. Next chapter will be some Ryan/Espo/Castle "bonding". Drop me a line in the review box or through PMs on your thoughts.**

Chapter 19

Alexis heard someone come in. She quickly closed her eyes and faked being asleep. She knew they would come to wake her up, so her strategy was to play dumb.

"Alexis…wake up, kid," the man said. He shoved her off the bed. She seriously wanted to beat the shit out of this dude.

She pretended that she really just woke up and was now confused on why she was on the floor. It seemed to do the trick. One of the many things she'd inherited from having a mother and grandmother as an actress.

"Aw, did I wake you? I'm soooo sorry," he said. The sarcasm practically dripped from his voice. "I thought you might be hungry. I bought some pizza from that place you and your dad order from," he said, placing the box on the edge of the bed.

Damn you, she thought. She was really hungry, and he was taunting her with that delicious pizza. Stay focused, she told herself.

She looked away from the box. It took all she had not to lunge for it and scarf it down. She clenched her fists and waited.

The man laughed, "Alright then, I'll just leave this here. Tell me, how bad does your father have it for Detective Beckett?" She pretended she didn't hear him. You have no idea, she thought in her head.

"That bad, huh? Does he really think she doesn't love him back? What an asshole. She's fallen hard for him. He wouldn't be a dude if he leaves that hot piece of ass without tapping her," he said.

That was when Alexis lunged at him. She punched him hard in the face. "Don't. Talk. About. My. Dad. And. Detective. Beckett. Like. That. EVER. Again," she said, punctuating every word.

The man turned his head back. He whipped the trail of blood from his nose away with his hand. He laughed and smiled, "Whoa, I'm sorry. No need to get punchy, Alexis."

Alexis punched him again. This time, she added kicking him in the crotch too. "Alright, that's enough! If you punch me again, I promise that you won't last the night!" he yelled.

Alexis just smiled condescendingly. She casually crawled up off the floor and onto the bed again. She'd achieved her goal of making him pissed off.

"That's a good girl. Now, here's something I don't get. Why aren't YOU mad at Detective Beckett? I mean, she did hurt your dad a bunch of times, and she puts him in dangerous situations every day. Why stand up for her if she did all that?" he asked.

Alexis wasn't quite sure why she did what she did. A small part of her was angry at Detective Beckett for hurting her dad. She was worried that her dad would get shot or killed when he's shadowing her and the team. The man was right on that part.

"Because she's different," she blurted out. He looked surprised, and she was surprised herself. "How is she different?" he asked.

"She's…real. The other women my father's been with only wanted him for his money. He married my mom because she was pregnant with me. He felt it was the right thing to do. Then when I was about two, she cheated on him. She moved to Malibu with the director and served my dad with the divorce papers.

"A few years later, when I was about six, he married his publisher, Gina. I knew he didn't really love her, but if he was happy, that was okay. I think he only married her because he wanted a wife and he thought I needed a mother-figure.

"I knew she was real when I found out she rejected his advances when she interrogated him. Yes, she's hurt him repeatedly. Yes, I was angry, and yes, I'm worried about him getting killed while shadowing her. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. He's happy, truly happy. He's changed for the better since he's met her. That's why I stand up for her. She's an important part of my life, almost like a…mom, so don't you dare disrespect her or my dad," she finished.

She realized her mistake too late. The man smiled and said, "Oh, I see. Thank you so much for your cooperation. Also, just so you know, I'm just gonna kill you anyway."

"No, you're not," she said. "How can you be so sure?" he asked. "They'll find me," she said. "And when they do, I'll kill you and then I'll kill them. It's as simple as that," he said. "You won't get the chance to do that," she said.

"Why not? Detectives Ryan and Esposito will stop me? This is what is gonna happen, kid. Right now, your beloved dad and detective are split up. They had a fight, and your dad left. Something about making her choose between him and the case, and naturally, she chose the case. She's gonna come hunting for you by herself. When he finds out about it, the small part of him that still loves her will force himself to come after her thus luring them here were I shall kill them," he finished.

They had a fight? Dr. Parish and Grams must've finally gotten them to reveal their feelings for each other. She was disappointed that Detective Beckett chose the case over her dad and that her dad didn't stay to try to fight for her.

"I shall leave you to dwell on that. There won't be any more interrogating. Someone will drop off food once in a while. Boss says you probably don't know anything more than what you've told us. Enjoy these days as they are numbered for you," he said, standing up to leave.

As soon as she heard the door click shut, she climbed out of the bed and headed to the hole in the wall. She removed the plaster square and climbed through the hole. It's time to have a little chat with Johanna Beckett.

She fell into the room, startling the occupant. She tested her limbs. Nothing broken, but she might be sore for a while.

She looked up and saw Johanna staring back at her, extending a hand. Alexis took it, and Johanna helped her up. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm fine," Alexis replied.

"Are you hungry?" Alexis asked a few minutes later. "Yes, I am," Johanna replied a few seconds later. "Wait here," she replied, climbed up to the hole again.

When she returned, she had the pizza box with her. They were soon sitting on the floor scarfing down slices of the still warm pizza.

"I know who you are," Alexis blurted out. "Oh?" Johanna replied. "You're Johanna Beckett, De-Kate Beckett's mom," Alexis replied.

"Yes, that's right. How do you know Katie?" she asked. "It's kind of a long story, Mrs. Beckett." "Please, call me Johanna-" "Alexis," Alexis replied.

"So, Alexis, I'm guessing you're probably wondering how I'm still alive after 13 years," she said. Alexis nodded. "Alright, I'll tell you my story if you tell me how you know Katie," Johanna said. "Deal," Alexis replied. Johanna took a deep breath before she began.

"Thirteen years ago, I was working this campaign in Washington Heights to get drug dealers off the streets. I was approached by some guy. He said I had to back off or bad things would happen. I of course ignored this. I requested a court file about the murder of Bob Armen because I thought it had a connection to my case.

"I guess I was right. On January 9, 1999, I was supposed to meet my husband, Jim, and Katie at a diner for dinner. I had a few things to finish up at the office before I could go. I was just about to leave when someone grabbed me from behind and placed a towel drench in some sort of liquid over my face.

"I blacked out. When I woke up again, I was in this room tied to a chair. The same guy that threatened me came into the room. He said that to the world I was now dead. They found my "body" in the alley where Bob Armen was murdered. I guess they murdered my twin sister and made sure the M.E. "identified" her as me.

"For about a decade, they've tried to get me to reveal what I know. I keep feeding them false information, so they finally left me alone. Until I heard them drag you in here. That's when they started "interrogating" me again. So there you go; that's my story. I've held up my end of the bargain," Johanna said, waiting for Alexis to start.

Alexis was mostly shocked and confused. That's A LOT of information. She desperately needed some way to contact the detectives or even her dad. She saw that Johanna was waiting for her to tell to story on how she knew her daughter.

"About four years ago, my dad had this book launch party for his latest novel, _Storm Falls_-"

"Your dad is Richard Castle?" Johanna asked the amazement visible in her eyes.

"Yeah, he's my dad. Anyway, he was telling me why he-um, I don't really want to spoil the book for you-"

"It's okay. They've brought me the rest of the Derrick Storm series; I know that he killed off Storm," Johanna replied.

"Right, anyway, he was telling me that and how he wished someone would come up to him and say something new. That's when your daughter came to take him to the precinct to interrogate him about two murders based off of _Flowers for Your Grave_ and _Hell Hath No Fury_. He used his friendship with the mayor to shadow her for his next set of novels," Alexis said.

"Wow, wait. Katie's a detective?" Johanna asked. Alexis nodded, "She became one to solve your murder. At least that's what my dad's told me."

"Your dad and Katie are kind of close, aren't they?" Johanna asked. Alexis nodded again. "The funny thing is that when Katie was a teenager, she always wanted to meet her favorite author. Now she's working with him," Johanna said, laughing.

You have no idea, Alexis thought. "So, if I eavesdropped correctly, I'm guessing that they're not just partners," Johanna said.

Alexis got all flustered, "Um, they're not dating as far as I know. If the guy is right, they've ended their partnership. He does love her, though, and I think your daughter loves him too."

Johanna smiled, "That's what I thought."

After a while of incredibly awkward silence, Alexis saw something in the ceiling. "What's that?" she asked. "Hm?" Johanna asked. "What's that thingy imbedded in the wall?" Alexis asked.

"I have no idea. Some sort of electrical device," Johanna said.

Electrical device, huh. Alexis' analytical mind started working. She carefully climbed up the wall, grabbed the device, and climbed back down. Those years of climbing trees as a kid really paid off.

It was a cell phone. "Jackpot," she said, examining the device. "How is this useful? It doesn't even work," Johanna asked. Alexis just smiled at her and said, "Not yet anyway. I can make it work, but I'll need time. We can call the precinct, any of the detectives, or even my dad for help. Assuming this isn't a burner phone, we can keep them on the line long enough for them to get a trace."

"Are you sure you can make it work, Alexis?" Johanna asked. "Trust me, if any of the skills I've seen on the episodes of MacGyver that my dad made me watch got implanted in my brain, we're good to go," she replied.

"What's MacGyver?" Johanna asked. "It's this TV show where they fix a bunch of electrical stuff. My dad wanted to watch it for research. I was dragged along because I had nothing else to do," Alexis replied. "Oh, Jim and Katie are experts at that stuff. I never did figure out how to fix-"

She was cut off when they heard the sound of someone walking towards them. "I have to go. Hand me the box," Alexis said. Johanna passed the box over. "Okay, I'll be back when he leaves," Alexis said. Johanna nodded, and Alexis crawled through the hole back into her room, making sure she placed the squares back into place.

After a few hours of staring at the phone, she dropped it on the bed in frustration. Without tools, she couldn't fix it. She was pretty sure that she can't ask the guy for any without raising suspicion.

That was when a box fell on her bed. It narrowly missed hitting her on the head. Curiosity over took her, and she opened the box.

She dumped out the contents. It was an instruction's manual to the phone and a toolbox filled with the exact tool she needed to fix it. Alexis looked up at the ceiling but saw nothing. There has to be a hole up there where someone dropped it. Boxes with helpful things inside don't just drop out of nowhere.

That gave her another thing to dwell on. There was someone who was trying to help her. The question was, where they trying to actually save her and the other or where they just trying to lure them into another trap?

**A/N: Dun dun dun! To be continued… How did you like this chapter? Please review and suggest since I'm not particularly fond of how I wrote this one. **


	21. Dealing with the Aftermath

**A/N: So, what do you think so far? I bet you guys won't be able to guess the identity of the mysterious person helping Alexis out right now. Today's chapter has some Ryposito and Castle bonding and a little bit of Esplanie and Ryan plotting. Have any ideas who the person is? Review/PM your guess.**

Chapter 20

He found the car in the garage. It was a red vintage Chevy, very much like his first car. He dusted it off with a rag he'd found in the garage. Soon, it was clean enough to sit in. He used a key to unlock the trunk where a large amount of dust lay. He scraped that out before stuffing the suitcases inside.

He opened the door for his mother before climbing into the driver's seat himself. Like I mentioned, the Chevy was similar to his first car, so he knew how to drive it. Soon, he was pulling out of the drive way and heading toward the city.

After a while of awkward silence, his mother spoke up, "Are you alright?" "Never better," was his reply. He fiddled with the radio some more before settling with a classic rock station.

"No, you're not alright. You're angry at Kate," Martha said. "You're hurt. You spilled your heart out to her, and she rejected you."

Castle almost drove off the road. A car's horn blasted at him. "Drive straight, asshole!" he heard a driver yell. Castle ignored him after murmuring a few choice words.

"How-" "Oh please, Richard. Mother's know these things. Plus, Jim and I came to call you kids down for breakfast when we heard you two fighting," Martha replied. "How much did you hear?" he asked. "Oh, pretty much everything," Martha said casually.

Castle gulped. "Explain to me why exactly you drag us out of the Beckett's home and make us stay in a hotel despite specific instructions to stay with Detective Beckett," Martha asked. Castle said nothing; he felt his mother's eyes on him, pressuring him to explain.

"You heard why," he replied, glancing at his mother at a red light. "Why didn't you try to get her to change her mind?" Martha asked. Martha had hit the jackpot.

She saw the startled look on her son's face. The light turned green, and he turned left. "I told her it was either me or the case. She chose the case, and now I have to live with that," he replied.

Martha glanced at her phone. "Okay, so she chose the case. What if she regrets her choice?" Martha asked. She needed to thank Dr. Parish for the update.

Castle's eyes widened. Here comes the annoying voice again. Shouldn't he have stayed? Maybe she hadn't realized what she was choosing until it was too late, and now she regrets her choice? Maybe she really does love him?

"Shut up, me," he whispered. "Ah, you have considered the possibility," Martha said. "You and your Jedi mind tricks," he mumbled. "I raised you, Richard."

"Okay, let's pretend for a moment that you're right. How do you think I should proceed if she regrets her choice, that's if you're right which you're not?" he asked. "Wait a day. Cool off a bit. She'll come when she's ready," Martha replied. "How would she know where we're staying?" he asked. "Who says she'll go to the hotel? You have to stop at the precinct eventually," Martha replied.

He hummed in response before pulling up to the Four Seasons hotel. He parked the Chevy in the parking garage, took their luggage out, and led his mother to the elevator. The attendant handed him two keys when he identified himself earlier. He pushed the number for the penthouse floor, and the doors closed.

Cheesy elevator music certainly didn't help the mood. They seriously needed to get better elevator tunes 'cause these are crap. He didn't mind the '80s, but these were the worst of that decade.

The elevator finally opened, silencing the tunes and ending the awkward silence. He stepped out and followed the signs until he'd reached room 3909. The same day you first met Kate, he thought.

He shook his head to rid himself of the memory. Right now was not a time to think about her when he was still hurt and mad. He swiped his key card and turned the handle.

The room itself was two suites connected together by a living room. His mother was to have the one on the left, and his was on the right. Just like in L.A., but this time she'd not with me, he thought.

Great, another memory he didn't want to relive right now. He was serious when he said he couldn't get her out of his head. He really needed to get out of here. The universe was taunting him.

"I'm gonna go take a walk. I'll be back soon," he said. Martha just waved him off before shutting the door to her suite. He dropped his suitcase in his room before he was out the door again.

Rain was just the universe's favorite weather today, wasn't it? He didn't want to get the Chevy out since he didn't really trust the hood. After the fiasco with one of his girlfriends in high school involving rain, a car similar to this, and its hood, he didn't want to risk it.

Hailing a taxi was hopeless, so he decided to take the subway. He walked towards Grand Central Terminal, but he saw that the next train won't come for another hour. It looks like he'll have no choice but to walk.

He found solace in his bar. He stepped inside, rain water dripping off his form. So much for staying dry.

His favorite bartender, Declan Ross, was on duty. He had unruly brown hair and dark blue eyes, almost grey. He'd turned twenty-one a few months ago, and he was already doing an astounding job.

"Mr. Castle, nice to see you in this early," he greeted. "Hey, kid, got any coffee?" Castle asked. "Yes sir, anything else? Breakfast maybe?" Declan asked. "Yeah, whatever you got," Castle replied, slumping into a barstool.

The kid was a miracle worker. Declan fixed him a smorlette and coffee in almost no time at all. At least someone appreciated Castle's culinary creations.

"Thanks, kid. Here's some cash for your college fund," Castle said, stuffing a wad of bills into the jar dedicated for Declan's college fund. "Thank you, sir," Declan said, the gratitude etched in his voice. "No problem, kid. What are you studying for anyway?" Castle asked, drinking his coffee.

"Engineering. I want to be an architect," Declan replied, whipping the bar. "Architect, huh? Well, when you graduate, you can always come to me for jobs. I know people who know people," Castle said. "Thank you, Mr. Castle, I'd really appreciate that," Declan said, smiling like a kid on Christmas.

"I don't mean to pry, but you seem troubled, sir. Is there something wrong?" Declan asked moments later. Castle chose not to answer. Instead, he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. A recap of the game last night was on.

"Sir, you can tell me anything. I won't judge, and I'm known to give good advice," Declan prompted. Castle took a bite out of his smorlette. He took a deep breath before he began.

"Girl troubles," he replied. "Detective Beckett?" Declan asked. Castle gave him a How-did-you-know-that look. "Sir, you've written three books about her that were practically love letters. Who else would it be?" Declan replied.

"Yeah, it's about her," he replied. "What went wrong this time?" the boy asked. "I offered her my heart, and she kind of stomped on it," he replied. "Oh, that's got to hurt. Did you try to reason with her?" Declan asked.

His boss's silence was answer enough. "Sir, don't take this the wrong way, but this is kind of your fault too," he said. Castle glared at him. "I've seen you two come in for a drink, sometimes with your friends, sometimes just the two of you. She's crazy about you, and you're crazy about her. Couldn't you see that?" he asked.

"If she cares about me as much as you say, why did she lie about remembering me telling her I love her?" Castle blurted out. He realized too late that he revealed too much. Declan was smirking at him. "So that's the problem. You're angry that she lied, and you're hurt that she chose something over you," Declan theorized.

"You know you should forget about being an architect. You should be a shrink," Castle chuckled. Declan shrugged, "My brother, Sam, is the shrink. I must've picked up some stuff from listening to his sessions."

"Look sir, you've got enough on your plate now with your daughter missing." At Castle's confused look, Declan explained, "Yes, I've seen the news. I say you wait a bit before talking about this. Take the day off, relax. Have a guy's night with Detectives Ryan and Esposito."

"Thanks kid. I'd better go. I was serious about the shrink idea," Castle said, getting up to leave. "I'll think about it. See you later, Mr. Castle, and good luck," Declan chuckled. "On what? Beckett or my kid?" Castle asked, standing at the door. "Both. Bye," Declan replied.

Castle roamed around the city for a while longer. He took refuge in the New York Public Library. It was comforting since he spent so much of his childhood here. He looked around for a good book to read. He grabbed every comic book off the shelf and took the stack back to his table.

Soon, he was lost in the Marvel universe where heroes had it worse than he did. The heroes were his father figures, and he strived to save to be like them when he was a kid. Of course, one time he took it to the extreme and ended up having a broken leg. Comic books never get old.

He closed the last comic book from the stack. Despite the distraction of the Marvel universe, his analytical writer mind started running. He started to spin a story based on the details of the case so far.

In the majority of the versions he'd spun, things didn't end well. All of those ended with all of them dead. The only thing that varied was whether Beckett or his daughter was murdered first.

In a handful of versions, only one of them ended up dead. It was always between him and Beckett; his daughter never died. Only two scenarios ended with them alive and the Dragon slain.

One of them had him and Beckett going all badass partners and taking down everyone except Alexis. They'd found the file somewhere, and they used it to destroy the person behind all this.

The unlikely version involved a mysterious ally. They helped them break Alexis out and find the file. It pretty much ended the same way as the one before.

After he ran out of theories, he checked his watch. Nine o'clock already? His stomach growled in response. He placed the comic books back on the shelf they came from and left the library.

He took Declan's advice and called the guys. Nothing new had popped up, so they were just chilling. Castle said he'll order pizza and meet them there.

"Okay, bro, see you soon," Espo said, hanging up his phone. Ryan looked up from his computer. "So?" "The eagle is about to land. Castle's coming over with food," Espo replied. "I'll tell Lanie. We probably need to keep him hear a while. It won't be hard," Ryan replied, picking up his phone.

Castle and the pizzas arrived a few minutes later. "Hey guys," he said, setting the pizzas on Ryan's desk. They replied their traditional greetings (Espo: Yo, Ryan: Hey).

They set up in the conference room. Soon, they each had a six pack of their choice of soda and a box of pizza in front of them. They've ordered a bunch of action movies to watch on Netflix. Basically, they were going to do a Lord of the Rings, James Bond, Firefly/Serenity, and superhero marathon.

James Bond won in a random blind pick, so that was first. Firefly/Serenity came next, Lord of the Rings after that, and finally all the superhero movies. Each person had a stack of files to look through while watching the movie. Normally, Castle would've just shoved the paperwork back at them, but a) it was essential for helping find his daughter and b) it provided a distraction from K-Detective Beckett.

That's when Ryan and Espo knew something was really wrong between Mom and Dad. Richard Castle _**never **_does paperwork, no matter how hard Beckett's tried. "Uh, we need to go run something. Start the movie without us," Ryan said. Castle just grunted and started the movie. Ryan and Esposito took that as their cue to leave.

Lanie was waiting for them in the break room. They didn't have to worry about getting caught since Gates was gone. They waved to the officers who were pulling the night shift before ducking into the room.

"Report," Lanie commanded. "Dad's here. He's eating in the conference room while watching the first James Bond movie. We should alert the media," Ryan replied. "What? Why?" Lanie demanded. "Dad's doing fucking paperwork," Esposito replied.

"Shut the front door!" Lanie exclaimed. The boys nodded. "Wow, I never expect him to do paperwork until he lost a bet to Kate. That's new," Lanie said.

"That's not important. What's up with Mom, again? She called in to have the day off earlier," Ryan asked. "Mom and Dad had a fight at Papa Beckett's house. They're broken up now, I guess," Lanie said.

"That explains why he looks like a kicked puppy," Espo mumbled. "Yeah, you should've seen how Beckett reacted," Lanie said. "What, how did Beckett take it?" the boys asked. "She was sobbing uncontrollably. Her dad got kind of worried about her, so he called me. I have never seen her cry that much over a guy in…well, _ever_," Lanie said.

"What do we do?" they asked. "We wait. Until he's cooled off by that marathon you boys are doing, we can't let them be in the same room together," Lanie replied. "Okay, call us to schedule a meeting place," they said.

With that, the meeting adjourned. The boys picked up a random file and went back to the conference room. Castle was engrossed in the action scene, so he didn't notice them at first.

Ryan and Esposito just sat in their chairs and watched the movie with him. By the time they reached _The Man with the Gold Gun,_ they'd finished looking through the files. Ryan was sent to place the files on Esposito's desk.

It was late morning when they reach _For Your Eyes Only. _They were just about to start in when Ryan's desk phone rang. Ryan got up and went to go answer it.

"Ryan," was his greeting. A Detective Grayson gave him the details. "Okay thanks," he said. After a pause, he said, "I'll tell them."

"Esposito, Castle, we've got another one. Madison Square Garden. You want in?" he asked. The two guys nodded and grabbed their coats. "Call Beckett," he whispered to Espo. "You got it, bro," he replied, pulling out his phone. Things were about to get interesting.

**A/N: So, what do you think? Continue with this or go back to Alexis and Johanna?**


	22. Calling It In

**A/N: Still no guesses? Maybe this chapter will give you a hint. I'm off for Christmas break, so updates will come sooner. As usual, please review and/or PM any comments/suggestions/guesses.**

Chapter 21

(24 hours later)

Those episodes of MacGyver really paid off. After pulling an all-nighter, she'd fixed the phone. The screen lit up with the Apple logo.

She tossed aside the empty coffee cup in her hand. The vanilla latte had come with the box, which helped her pull the all-nighter. She knew it really wasn't a good idea to eat/drink anything if you don't know where it's from, but she reasoned that it wouldn't be poisoned if the person wanted her to fix the phone.

The creepers had lived up to their word. No one bothered her except to bring her food. She made sure that the box and its contents were well hidden out of sight.

A lock screen showed up on the phone. It's not the 'slide to unlock' kind of lock screen. It's not even the dots one either. Nope, this one had to be a 'guess the word' one.

What could be the passcode? Without some sort of hint, how was she supposed to guess? There are at least a million possibilities!

When she heard the door open, she stuffed the phone into her pocket. A man by the name of Steve came in a dropped off her breakfast. He set the tray down and left.

After scarfing down the pancakes, eggs, strawberries, and orange juice, she took out the phone again. The wall paper was blank, so that wasn't helpful.

She could try the emergency call button. That's what she should've done in the first place. Leave it to her father's genes to make her want to find the passcode. Even if she had figured out the passcode, she doesn't remember any useful numbers.

Her thumb was hovering over the '9'. Maybe she should update Johanna before calling. After all, wouldn't she want to hear her daughter's voice, maybe even talk to her?

She waited until she was sure the guy had left her room. She crawled through the wall and dropped into the room. Johanna was sitting on her bed reading a book.

"Did you get it working?" she asked. "Yup, I thought I should update you before I call 911," Alexis replied. "That's probably wise. It would be nice to hear Katie's voice again," she said.

Alexis took out the iPhone and dialed 911 using the emergency dialer. She waited patiently until she heard a voice. "911, what's your emergency?" "Yeah, hi, can you put me through to the 12th precinct?" Alexis asked, "My-uh-sister works there, and I forgot her number." "Who is your sister, ma'am?" the dispatcher asked. "Detective Katherine Beckett," she replied. "Please hold while we transfer the call to her," they said.

The two women waited in anticipation. It was a long shot, but they could possible get through to Kate. She'd find them, and this would all be over.

Cole Maddox waited by the door to Johanna's room. Alexis thought she was so clever finding the phone and fixing it. Like he would let Detective Beckett on the line long enough for her to get a trace. He gripped the handle of his gun, prepared to use any means necessary to not let that happen.

He felt the burner phone in his pocket vibrate. He quickly grabbed it and answered the call, hoping they didn't notice him. "Who is this?" he snarled. "I think you know exactly who I am, Cedric." His face grew pale, "It's you. What do you want?" "Call off this plan," the man replied. He scoffed, "Not gonna happen." "That wasn't a request, Cedric. You will not kill Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle, or Miss Castle if you still want to protect your employer," the man said. "Why do you care if they live?" he asked. "It's a family matter."

**A/N: *cough* *cough* Not-so-subtle-hint *cough* *cough* (Sorry that's it's short. Next chapter will be longer.)**


	23. Crime Scene 2

**A/N: It's NOT Jim Beckett. Good guess though, PruedenceKimberly. Anyway, back to Caskett and the team. Sorry for the lack of updates. Also, I'm considering publishing this story as a novel when I'm done with it. I'd tweak the names and a few other things that belong to Andrew Marlowe, but other than that, do you think it's a good idea? I'd love to know your thoughts.**

Chapter 22

An annoying buzz startled her awake. What the hell? She flailed aimlessly for her phone before finally finding it. She grasped her hand around the device and answered it.

"Yo Beckett, we got a fresh one in Madison Square Garden," Esposito replied. "Okay, I'll be there in a bit. Thanks, Espo," she replied. "No problem, Boss. Later," he replied before hanging up.

She landed back on the mattress. She closed her eyes and took a moment to fully awaken. She reopened her eyes and threw the covers off.

She changed into a purple t-shirt and jeans. She slipped on her motorcycle jacket and four-inch heels. She slipped her gun into her holster and clipped her badge to her belt before heading out the room.

Jim got up just in time to see his daughter leave. "Where are you going, Katie?" he asked. He must've startled her because she dropped her keys. "Esposito called and said we had a body," she replied. "Alright, Katie, be safe," he replied. She just hummed in response before grabbing her purse and shoving her keys in her pocket before leaving.

Jim waited until he heard her car leave the driveway before he grabbed his phone. He dialed a number and waited. "Dr. Parish, Medical Examiner, you kill 'em, we chill 'em." "Hello, this is Jim Beckett," he replied. "Hey, Mr. Beckett, what's up?" she asked. "Katie just left for a crime scene. I'm guessing Rick Castle will be there as well?" he inquired. "Yeah, he was with the guys when they got the call. It was entirely coincidental that they'll see each other again at the scene," Lanie said. "Are you sure that's wise?" he asked.

"I think the timing could've been a bit better, but I think they'll be okay. The boys and I will make sure they won't kill each other. Speaking of them, they just arrived. I have to go, but I'll keep you updated," Lanie said. "Okay, thank you Dr. Parish. I'll update Martha," he said. "Thanks, sir," Lanie replied. They both exchanged good byes before they hung up.

(….)

Kate sped away from the suburbs of New York and into the city. She almost missed Castle constantly fiddling with the radio. "Nope, you're not going to go there, Kate, not now," she told herself.

She stopped at a red light about a block away from the scene. She wondered what Castle was doing right now. Probably trying to write but failing with the thought of his kid missing burned into his mind. She didn't blame him; she'd react the same way if it was her kid.

A car honking behind her broke her out of her thoughts. She heard the driver swear as she sped forward. Normally, she'd swear back, but she was too preoccupied.

She pulled up to the scene. She parked the car and got out, locking it behind her. She flashed her badge at the officer nearest to the tape, and he let her through. She ducked her head under it, mumbled a quick thank you, and headed towards the body.

Castle and the guys were discussing the victim when he heard footsteps behind him. He recognized the steps immediately. Sure enough, Beckett appeared right behind them.

She stopped when her eyes met his. She saw something in them that she's never seen before. She saw pain and anger before he masked it with a blank expression. She inwardly sighed. She caught a glimpse of Lanie behind him. Her look told her that she really did fuck things up.

She looked away and walked past him. "Wh-who's our vic?" she stuttered out. "She's a Jane Doe. No ID was found on the body. TOD was between 4-6 AM," Lanie said. "Do you have COD yet?" she asked, slipping on her blue latex gloves.

She saw Lanie hesitate before she replied, "Sniper bullet to the chest."

Castle's expression softened. He almost asked if she was okay, but then he remembered that he was supposed to be mad at her. He schooled his expression. He hated to admit it, but his mother was right. Love is not a switch; you can't just turn it off.

The boys and Lanie exchanged glances. They saw Castle's face change when Lanie said sniper. He almost looked like the normal Castle until he put that mask back on.

"Did she feel it?" Beckett asked. Lanie nodded. Beckett nodded in response and walked around the body. She felt like she should know this woman.

"Yo Beckett, uniforms found this in a storm drain," Esposito said, holding up a purse. "Is there an ID in there?" she asked. "Yup, victim's name is Jenna Rose, 23. She came a long way to get killed. She's a British girl," he replied.

"Wait, did you say her name was Jenna Rose?" Castle asked. "Yeah, why?" Esposito asked. "Last year, I told Alexis to meet me at the Old Haunt for karaoke night. I remembered seeing Jenna up on the stage. I remembered seeing her talking to Alexis when I went by the table. She's going to Columbia where Alexis wants to go, so Alexis was asking her a bunch of questions. Alexis invited her over almost every weekend for sleepovers," he explained.

"Did she ever mention having any family?" Beckett asked. "She did mention parents and a sister," he replied. "Okay, King of All Surveillance Media, check the cameras within a 10-block radius of this spot. Maybe our sniper was caught by one of the cameras. Esposito, interview all the witnesses. Somebody has to have heard or seen something. Castle and I will head back to the precinct and call the parents," she said. "You got it, Boss," Ryposito said before they left to do their assigned tasks.

"The parent's names are Ross and Carol Rose. Her sister's name is Rebecca," he said on the car ride to the precinct. "Wait, did you say her dad was Ross Rose? As in the CEO of Rose Incorporated, the top perfume line in the world?" she asked. "Yup, her mom was a model when she was younger. That's how she and Ross met," he explained.

Beckett filled in the murder board while Castle went to make coffee. She got the family's numbers from the file Columbia sent over. She made a note to interview the roommate.

Her desk phone rang. She set the Expo marker down and went to go answer it. "Beckett," she greeted. "Detective Beckett, this is Alexis."

Beckett's eyes widening didn't go unnoticed by him. Something was wrong.

She caught Ryan's attention before he went into the tech room. She pointed to the phone, and he understood immediately. He picked up his phone preparing to trace the call.

"Alexis, how-" "It's complicated. Is my dad with you?" Alexis asked. "Uh, yeah, he's here," Beckett replied, looking up only to meet Castle's eyes.

She handed him the phone which he took gratefully. "Alexis?" he whispered. "Dad!" he heard. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you?" he asked frantically. "Whoa, Dad, slow down. I'm fine, and I don't know where I am. I was hoping that Detective Beckett could trace the call-" "That's what Detective Ryan is doing now. Where did you get a phone anyway?" he asked.

Beckett motioned for him to hand the phone back. She saw the worried father in him pleading for her to not make him do this. She told him that she just need a few minutes and then he'd get it back with her eyes. He begrudgingly gave the phone to her.

"Alexis, do you think you can ID anyone you saw?" she asked. "The person who kidnapped me was named Kyle. He's an officer because I remember seeing him at crime scenes. I think his badge number is 49587. He was killed by the man who's been trying to get information out of me," Alexis replied.

Kate wrote down the badge number to run later. "Can you describe him?" "Um, he's about six-feet tall with brown hair and dark eyes. He's probably in his thirties. I think his name was Cedric Marks and that he was your shooter," Alexis said.

Kate stopped writing. "Are you sure?" "Yeah, he mentioned it," Alexis replied. Kate wrote down the name Cedric Marks. "Is there anything else?" she asked.

"Yeah, your mother is here," Alexis said.

Before Kate had a chance of commenting, she heard a commotion in the background. "Alexis, what is happening?" Kate asked. "They're coming. I have to go," Alexis said. "Wait, no, Alexis don't hang up!" The line was already dead.

"Did you get a trace?" she asked Ryan, her voice breaking. "Working on it," he said. She slumped into her seat. Now she had another thing to dwell on: what did Alexis mean when she said her mother was there?

**A/N: Thanks to Makenzie and Hannah for pulling me out of writer's block.**


	24. Getting Somewhere

**A/N: It's NOT Montgomery. Sorry, PruedenceKimberly, but I appreciate your effort. I felt inspired, so here's another chapter. I will tell you this, along with our mystery man, three other characters are somewhat related to Caskett. I will leave you to dwell on that, so enjoy the chapter. **

**P.s. Be patient, my readers, for a Caskett moment is in the near future. :)**

Chapter 23

"Beckett, do we have any leads on the case?" Gates asked. Beckett averted her gaze from the phone and down to her hastily scrawled notes. "Uh, Alexis Castle somehow managed to make contact with us," she said. "How and what did she say?" Gates asked.

"We don't really know how, but she gave us a strong lead. The badge number of the uniform we caught on video is 49587," she said. "Run him through the database. I want to know everything about him. Did she say anything else?" Gates asked. "Uh, no, we were cut off before she could say anything else," Beckett lied. "Okay, I'll call the FBI. They were about to take control of the case if we didn't have leads. You're on thin ice, so keep digging. " "Yes sir," Beckett replied.

"Why didn't you tell her about Cedric Marks?" Castle asked his voice barely audible. "Because if she found out that he's my shooter, she'll take me off the case. That means you're off the case too," she whispered back.

"Hey, Ryan, were you able to trace the call?" she asked in her normal tone. "Still waiting…Damn it!" he exclaimed. "What?" she asked. "I almost had a trace when it shut down. I can't get it up again," he said. "It's him. They're trying to make sure we won't find her," Beckett said. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Run this badge number through the database," she said, scribbling the number on a sticky note before handing it to Ryan. "You got it boss," he said.

"Esposito," she called. He looked up and walked to over to her desk when she motioned him forward. "What's up?" he asked in a whisper. "You still have access to the army database, right?" she asked. He nodded. "I need you to run this name. Get anything you can on him," she said, handing him a sticky note. "Who is this guy?" he asked. "My shooter," she whispered. "On it," he replied before leaving.

"Alright, Castle, you and I will talk to the parents. Do you know anything else important about them?" she asked. Silence was her reply. "Great, looks like I have to do it the hard way. I'm going to get coffee. You want some?" she asked. Again, he said nothing.

"Castle? Castle!" "What?" he asked startled out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" she asked. He saw the concern in her eyes, and it almost made his anger fade away. "Yeah, just thinking," he said. He was more panicking than thinking. What if they hurt his little girl? He felt so helpless just sitting here with no clue where his daughter was.

Kate saw the panicked father peek out behind the mask. Although never having a kid, she recognized that look. Her parents often wore that expression when she came home late and didn't call them.

"Rick, go home," she said. His eyes widened at the use of his first name. "Not going to happen," he replied, schooling his features. "Rick, you have the panicked father look on your face. You need to go home and be with your mother. I'll call you if we catch a break," she said.

He was about to protest when he received one of her glares. "Fine, but I'm not going to like it," he said, getting up and slipping on his coat. "I don't expect you to," she said with a smile. He smiled softly back before heading to the elevator.

He waited until the door closed before he got made at himself. He was supposed to be forgetting about her, not smiling back at her! This was going to be harder than he thought.

After a while, Beckett got up the courage to call the number. She took a deep breath before she dialed the number. She waited patiently for someone to answer it.

"Hello?" a young voice asked. "Who am I speaking to?" Beckett asked. "Rebecca Rose," the voice replied. "Hello, Rebecca, my name is Detective Kate Beckett. I work for the New York City Police Department in the United States. May I speak to your parents?" she asked. "Um, sure, just wait a minute," Rebecca replied.

"Hello?" a man's voice asked. "Mr. Rose?" "Yes, that's me. What's your business, Detective," he asked. "I regret to inform you, but we found Jenna's body in Madison Square Garden," she said. "Jenna's been killed?" he asked in disbelief. "I'm afraid so. Is there any chance that you could come to the U.S. anytime soon?" she asked. "We'll catch the next flight to JFK. Where do you work?" he asked. "The 12th precinct. I'll have someone waiting to escort you guys from the airport," she said. "Okay, thank you, Detective," he said before ending the call.


	25. Interviews

**A/N: In advance, I want to apologize for any grammatical mistakes. I often just post chapters after I write them, so I don't catch them. This one is a continuation of the last chapter. Next I'll do one on Alexis/Johanna, maybe two depending on how things go. After that…well, let's just say it will be a chapter all you Caskett shippers will enjoy (*knowing grin*). **

Chapter 24

Her phone chimed for the hundredth time. Will he ever stop texting her? She needed to focus on interviewing the family.

Another text popped up on her phone. She rolled her eyes and pulled it out of her pocket. She unlocked it and opened all the messages from Castle.

_**Anything new on the case? –Castle**_

_**C'mon, Beckett, just tell me! –Castle**_

_**I'm not gonna leave you alone until you respond. –Castle**_

_**I could do this all day. –Castle**_

_**Random show theme songs time!–Castle**_

_**Take my love, take my land**_

_**Take me where I cannot stand**_

_**I don't care, I'm still free**_

_**You can't take the sky from me.**_

_**Take me out to the black**_

_**Tell them I ain't comin' back**_

_**Burn the land and boil the sea**_

_**You can't take the sky from me.**_

_**There's no place I can be**_

_**Since I've found Serenity**_

_**And you can't take the sky from me. –Castle**_

_**That's a damn good song for a damn good show. Long live the Browncoats! –Castle**_

_**Are you ready kids "Aye Aye Captain"**_

_**I can't hear you "AYE AYE CAPTAIN"**_

_**Ohh…**_

_**Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?**_

"_**SpongeBob Squarepants"**_

_**Absorbent and yellow and porous is he**_

"_**SpongeBob Squarepants"**_

_**If nautical nonsense be something you wish**_

"_**SpongeBob Squarepants"**_

_**Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish**_

"_**SpongeBob Squarepants"**_

_**READY**_

_**SpongeBob Squarepants**_

_**SpongeBob Squarepants**_

_**SpongeBob Squarepants**_

_**SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS! AH AHH AHH**_

_**AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH… -Castle**_

_**Nothing like good ol' SpongeBob to brighten your day! –Castle**_

_**Adventure time,**_

_**Come on grab your friends,**_

_**We'll go to a very distant land,**_

_**Jake the dog,**_

_**And Fin the human,**_

_**The fun will never end,**_

_**It's Adventure Time! –Castle**_

_**Adventure Time is awesome too. No making fun, Beckett. You know it's true. –Castle**_

_**Our whole universe was in a hot dense state,**_

_**Then nearly fourteen billion years ago, expansion started.**_

_**Wait…**_

_**The Earth began to cool,**_

_**The autotrophs began to drool,**_

_**Neanderthals developed tools,**_

_**We built a wall (we built the pyramids) **_

_**Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries,**_

_**That all started with the big bang! –Castle**_

By the last text, Beckett couldn't hold in her laughter. She laughed so hard that her sides ached. Leave it to Castle to make her laugh, even when things were weird between them. Everyone passing by looked at her strangely before walking away.

She finally stopped when her sides ached too much. Her face was beet red, and she was gasping for air. She paid for a water bottle and took a long gulp.

_**There's nothing new to tell. Now, stop texting me! I have to interview Jenna's family, and I can't have my phone buzzing with texts from you! –Beckett**_

_**Aw, c'mon Kate. You have to admit that they're kind of funny :). –Castle**_

_**Yes, and they made me embarrass myself in front of a bunch of strangers at the airport when I couldn't hold in my laughter. –Beckett**_

She realized too late what she just sent him. "Aw shit," she mumbled. She'll never hear the end of it.

_**Oh really? You wouldn't happen to have any pictures, would you? (*smirks)-Castle**_

_**Shut up. –Beckett**_

She set her phone on 'Do not disturb'. She checked the flight list and saw that the one with the Rose family just arrived. She made her way to the gate to escort them to the precinct

She saw Rebecca first. The girl looked nothing like her sister. Jenna had blue eyes and dark wavy hair. Rebecca had hazel-green eyes and chestnut curls like Kate. That's kind of odd, but she decided not to question it. She wore a green halter dress that ended at her knees along with a black motorcycle jacket similar to Kate's and silver flats. Her hair flowed loose over her shoulders.

Ross and Carol soon trailed behind her. Ross had salt-and-pepper short hair with a haircut that screamed businessman and dark brown eyes. Carol had long blonde curly hair streaked with grey along with electric blue eyes. Ross wore the classic black suit with a white collared button down shirt and black tie. Carol wore a blue dress not as flashy as her daughter's along with a string of pearls around her neck and matching high heels along with a white leather jacket.

What bothered Kate was that the girls looked nothing like their parents. It really was none of her business, but could the girls be adopted? She'll check into that later.

She approached the family with a smile plastered on her face. "Hi, I'm Detective Kate Beckett," she greeted, extending a hand. They shook her hand and exchanged greetings. "I have a car waiting out front. I know you want to drop off your luggage and relax in your hotel after the long flight, but I need to take you to the precinct for questioning," Kate explained. "Whatever you say is fine with us, Detective Beckett," Ross said.

Kate led them toward the rented SUV. She stowed their luggage into the trunk and moved to the driver's seat. After a slight argument, Rebecca rode shotgun with her parents in the back seat.

"Right this way. Feel free to help yourself to coffee," Beckett said after escorting them into the break room. "Thank you, Detective," Carol said. Kate was just about to start the interview when she saw the boys catching her attention. "Excuse me," she says before walking over to the conference room.

She called Castle, and he answered immediately. "You're on speaker. I thought you might want to hear what Ryan and Esposito have," she said before setting the phone down on the table. "Shoot," he replied over the phone, his voice clearly eager to listen.

"Okay, so I traced down the badge number. The guy's name is Kyle Jack Rodin. He graduated from the academy in December of 2011. His only family is his mother, Grace Rodin. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska. He's transferred to the 12th around the time Alexis started interning with Lanie," Ryan reported. "Wait, he's been at crime scenes with my daughter? I'm gonna kick his sorry ass till next millennia," Castle says. "Settle down there, Incredible Hulk. Where is he now?" she asked.

"In the morgue," Ryan replied. "What? How did he end up there?" she asked. "His body was found floating in the Hudson. Cause of death was a bullet in his head. He appeared to have been tortured since almost every bone in his body was broken. The only way the ME was able to identify him was because he was still wearing his uniform," Ryan said, reading off the report in his hand.

"Ouch," Esposito commented. "Alas, my over-protective father duties cannot be fulfilled," Castle said. "Okay, focus on the surveillance for now. How soon can we get Mrs. Rodin here?" she asked. "Three hours," Ryan replied. "Okay, call her in," Beckett said.

"Esposito, please tell me you come bearing good news," Beckett asked. "Yeah, Cedric Marks is former army. Once he finished his tour, he worked for Orantis Solutions, a covert military contractor," he said. "Did you get anything on him?" she asked. "I know he used Cole Maddox as his cover name. I'll try to track down anything we have on him," he replied. "Okay, thanks Espo. Oh, and could you please run down Jenna Rose's roommate for me?" she asked. "Sure, what's their name?" he asked. "Paige Hensworth," she replied. "As you wish," he replied before leaving.

Castle had hung up once Esposito left. Kate thought nothing of it as she wrote down a few notes on the notepad she kept with her. She then made her way back to the break room where the family was waiting.

"Sorry about that," Beckett said, sitting down in an armchair across from the family. "Not a problem, Detective," Ross said. Beckett took a sip of coffee from the mug in her hand. She bit back the disgust on her face. How come it tasted amazing when Castle made it for her? This cup right now tasted like…."monkey peed on battery acid" as Castle would put it. _Stop thinking about Castle, and focus on the interview_, she told herself.

"When was the last time you saw or heard from Jenna?" she asked. "She called me last night," Rebecca blurted out. "What did she say?" Kate asked.

"The usual, you know, school, work, girl talk mostly," Rebecca replied. "Did she mention feeling like someone was watching her? What was her demeanor like?" Kate asked. "She did mention something about a guy she thought was following her. She said that he seemed to be everywhere she went. As for her demeanor, she seemed nervous and worried," Rebecca replied.

"Did she describe him to you?" Kate asked. "Better yet, she sent me a picture of him," Rebecca replied. "Do you mind if we take your phone's SD card to pull the photo?" Kate asked. "Not at all," Rebecca asked already opening the back cover of her phone.

Kate texted Ryan and he came into the break room seconds later. "Mr. and Mrs. Rose, Rebecca, this is my colleague, Detective Kevin Ryan," Beckett introduced. They exchanged greetings before Ryan said, "Did you get the SD card out for me?" Rebecca nodded and handed it to Ryan. "I'll pull the picture up for you in a few minutes," he whispered to Beckett before he took his leave.

"Did Jenna have a boyfriend?" she asked. "Yeah, I think his name was Wyatt Jennings," Rebecca replied. Beckett wrote his name down and made a mental note to search him up later.

"Okay, Rebecca, this is very important. Did Jenna ever mention hanging out with this person?" Kate asked, showing the girl a picture Kate had taken a long time ago. "Yeah, that's Alexis Castle. I'm assuming the other guy is her dad, Richard Castle?" she questioned. "Yes, how much do you know about Miss Castle?" Kate asked. "I know she's Jenna's best friend. Alexis was a few years younger than Jenna, and she was planning to go to Columbia. She asked Jenna questions about Columbia, and Alexis often provided advice. They were pretty close," Rebecca replied.

"Did you ever meet Alexis?" Kate asked. "One time while I was in the city, Jenna invited me to eat lunch with her. Alexis was there with her. She seemed like a nice girl. "And when was that?" Kate asked. "Last Thursday at Remy's at noon," Rebecca replied. Kate wrote a note to check with one of the waitresses.

"Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt Jenna?" Kate asked. The parents shook their heads, but Kate saw Rebecca with a troubled look on her face. "Rebecca?"

"Alexis called me one day and told me that when Jenna came to meet her for a day out, she had a black eye and bruises on her arm," Rebecca replied. "Rebecca Makenzie Rose, why did you keep this from us?" Carol scolded. "I called Jenna to confront her about the bruises, but she said not to tell you guys. She said that if I did, I'll be in danger," Rebecca replied.

Ryan came in and handed Beckett a file. He gave Rebecca the SD card back and moved to refill his empty coffee mug. He then excused himself and left.

"I think that's all the questions I have for now. If you can think of anything else, please don't hesitate to call," Kate said, handing Ross her card. "When can we see her?" he asked. "I'll have Detective Karpowski escort you to the morgue," she replied.

Once the Rose family was gone, she walked to the murder board and began to fill it in. She hung the picture of the stalker under the column labeled "SUSPECTS" and wrote a brief description of him. She filled in the timeline with the calls and meets. She also hung pictures of Ross, Carol, and Rebecca under the "FAMILY" column. She wrote a brief description of them and wrote their alibis which she checked before they arrived at the precinct.

She leaned against her desk and stared at the murder board. She glanced over to Alexis' board and back again. There has to be a bigger connection between them other than that they were friends. It's not a coincidence that Jenna was murdered a few days after Alexis was kidnapped.

"Detective Beckett, it's late. You should go home and rest. In fact, Detective Esposito and Ryan, you guys head home too. I'll see you three in the morning," Gates commanded.

The three detectives tried to argue, but Gates shot them a glare that told them she wasn't changing her mind. They reluctantly put on hold whatever they were doing and grabbed their personal effects. They headed to the elevator, and once it reached the lobby, they parted ways and exchanged good byes.

A couple hours later, Kate arrived at her father's house. She placed her keys in the little bowl on the table by the door, and she hung her coat in the closet next to that. She kicked off her heels and walked to the kitchen where her father was cooking dinner.

"Hey, Katie-Bug, you're home at a reasonable hour for once," he commented. Kate laughed and went to hug her father, "Hey Dad. What's for dinner?" "My famous spaghetti and meatballs along with fresh garlic bread from the store and a salad," he replied. "Anything I can do to help?" she asked. "Would you mind setting the table for me, Katie?" he asked. She nodded and grabbed the silverware off the counter.

Dinner was soon ready, and the Becketts ate in silence. "How was work?" he asked. "The victim was named Jenna Rose. She was found in Madison Square Garden. I interviewed her sister, Rebecca Rose, and her parents, Ross and Carol Rose, before Gates sent me home," she replied, taking a bite of spaghetti.

Jim froze, and his eyes widened. He carefully set his fork down and took a sip of root beer, his hands shaking.

"D-did you say her parents were Ross and Carol Rose?" he asked. Kate looked up and nodded. "Do you have a picture of them?" he asked. At Kate's nod, he said, "May I see it?"

Kate got up and went to go get her folder. She brought it back to the table and flipped through her papers until she found the photo. She placed it in front of her father and waited.

Jim's face paled. His face soon had a layer of sweat covering it. He could do nothing but stare at his daughter's puzzled face and figure out what was his next move.

"Dad is there something wrong?" she asked moments later. She noticed that his face had paled, and sweat trickled down his cheeks. Something was wrong.

Jim took a shaky breath before he said, "Katherine, there's something you need to know…"


	26. Tell Me A Story

**A/N: Alas I am forced to be mean and have you guys wait longer to find out what Jim told Kate (if you don't know already). Alexis and Johanna need their chapter(s) now! Also, this takes place right after Alexis called Beckett.**

**P.S. I would like to thank all my readers and especially my reviewers. You guys make my day with your kind words, and they in turn inspire me to write faster! :) **

**This chapter is dedicated to PruedenceKimberly.**

Chapter 25

Alexis shoved the phone in her pocket. Cedric Marks came into the room, and he did not look happy. Alexis braced herself for the worst.

He knelt down in front of the young redhead. He saw the fear in her eyes before she masked it. "You think you're clever calling Detective Beckett, right?" he asked. She simply blinked. "It's too bad that Detective Ryan couldn't trace it. Something about the system shutting down for no apparent reason," he added.

_Damn,_ she thought. There goes the idea for a rescue anytime soon. She hoped the information she provided helped them get some leads.

"What did you tell them?" he asked. "I just asked for my dad, and I told him that I was okay," she replied. He didn't need to know any more than that.

"That's all you better have said," he growled. He slapped her right cheek hard. He heard her gasp, and she gingerly touched where he'd struck her. He yanked her by her hair so that her face was merely six inches away from his. "Because if you told them anything that could lead them here sooner than we planned, you're going to end up like Kyle," he warned.

He released his grip on her hair and shoved her back. He noticed that Johanna was glaring at him, but he chose to ignore it. He walked up the stairs and slammed the door behind him.

"Are you okay?" Johanna asked. Alexis simply nodded since she was too dazed to answer properly. Johanna handed her a t-shirt wrapped around some ice from the water bucket by the door. "Thanks," Alexis mumbled.

"Where did you get the information you gave Katie?" Johanna asked. "I kept receiving texts from an anonymous number with the information during the call," Alexis replied. "Do you think it's the same person who gave you the box?" Johanna asked. Alexis nodded, "Whoever this person is, they want my dad and your daughter to find us."

After a few beats of silence, Alexis spoke up. "How come nobody noticed that your sister was missing?" Johanna seemed to ponder the best way to answer the question before she said, "She distanced herself from the family."

"What was her name, if you don't mind me asking?" Alexis asked. "Savannah Nicole Prior," Johanna replied. "What was she like?" Alexis asked, her head resting on her fists. Johanna almost laughed at Alexis' eagerness to listen. She schooled her features before she began.

"Savannah and I were complete opposites. I was more of a tomboy. I played softball, wore t-shirts and jeans, loved cars, and pretty much hated anything girly. Savannah hated sports, she always wore dresses or skirts, and she hated anything not girly.

"Savannah was quite clumsy, but she had a heart of gold. She took care of the neighborhood stray cat, and often tended to my wounds when I fell (which happened often).

"She married a boy named Tommy McCray. He was her first love, and he was five years older than her. Our parents didn't approve of the age difference, but they saw how happy Tommy made her, so they allowed it. He was our college professor.

"She was twenty when they married, and he was twenty five in 1970. They moved into a little apartment in Brooklyn. On September 24, 1972, they had their first child. Her name was Holly Olivia McCray. She had her mother's blue eyes, and her father's blonde hair.

"A year later, they had their second child, a boy named Robert "Bobby" James McCray. He had his father's brown eyes, and his mother's brown hair. They lived happily for a while until the year Katie was born," Johanna said.

"What happened then?" Alexis asked, her cobalt eyes showing her eagerness to know what happens next. The curse of being a child of Richard Castle.

"On July 18, 1979, Savannah, Tommy, and their two kids where at home in a nice little suburban house they'd bought when Bobby was born. Savannah was sleeping in the bedroom she and her husband shared, and the kids were in their separate rooms.

"Tommy was up late working when a commotion caused him to stop. He got up and went to check on what was happening," Johanna said, pausing.

"What happens next?" Alexis asked. She noticed pain in Johanna's eyes, and she wanted to know what caused it.

"Tommy was stabbed. He died instantly. Savannah heard a commotion, so she grabbed Tommy's .38. She went into the kid's rooms first and saw that they were empty. She heard Holly and Bobby screaming, so she ran after them. She ran into the man who stabbed Tommy, and she shot him in the heart, killing him. She tried to run after his accomplice, but he had sped away in a white van," Johanna replied, biting back tears.

"Did they ever catch the guy who took her kids?" Alexis asked her voice barely audible.

"The man she'd shot was named Nathaniel Langley. Savannah wasn't charged as they saw it was self-defense. They never caught the man who took the kids, and the kids were never found," Johanna said.

"How did Savannah take it?" Alexis asked.

"She was never the same since that night. She called for our birthday every year, but other than that, I never spoke to her," Johanna concluded.

"I'm so sorry, Johanna," Alexis said. "It happened a long time ago," Johanna replied. The two sat in silence again.

After Alexis stifled another yawn, Johanna spoke up. "You should go back into your room. You look tired. Get some rest, and we'll try to contact Katie when you wake up," she said. Alexis had enough energy to nod, bid her good night, and climb through the hole in the wall.

She was just about to drift off into the dream land when she heard the door open. She kept her eyes closed, but she was ready to attack if the time came.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder, but before she could react, she had her arms restrained. Her mouth was gagged. She opened her eyes and saw Steve's staring back at her.

"The boys are all out. It's just me here. That means I can do whatever the hell I want as long as I don't kill you," he stated. He had an evil smile on his face, and Alexis could smell alcohol and cigarettes on him.

She tried to struggle, but he kept her pinned down. She tried to scream, but it was muffled by the gag. She closed her eyes. A tear rolled down her face as she prayed to no one in particular for someone to help her.

**A/N: And, I officially suck. I'm going to hide in my hole in the ground now.**


	27. What's Important?

**A/N: I know this is probably not good for my life expectancy, but I took counsel from my friend Hannah, and she said to switch over to Caskett. Don't worry; I have a chapter with Alexis written too. I will go back in my hole now.**

**P.S. In advance, you're welcome. (And these two chapters are dedicated to PruedenceKimberly and rickkate3.)**

Chapter 26

Silence overtook the Beckett household. The only sound was the rain pouring outside. Father and Daughter stared at each other. Jim was bracing himself for his daughter's reaction. Kate was just letting it all sink in.

Once it did, she pleaded with her eyes to her father for it not to be true. He shook his head, a look of apology and sympathy etched in his face. He wanted to say something, but he thought it best to keep quiet.

Tears welled up in Kate's eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. She refused to let her father see her cry, so she got up and made her way to the door. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her bag before she opened the front door and ran into the night.

Jim desperately yelled his daughter's name, but either she didn't hear him or she ignored him. He yelled apologizes to her, but he knew that wasn't enough. She was soon out of sight. He hesitantly closed the door.

Jim reached for his cell phone and dialed a number. It was Detective Ryan, and he answered after the second ring. "Katie just ran out of the house. I don't know where she'd going," he told him. "Okay, I'll call Esplanie and Martha. I'll track her phone, and we can all watch her from a safe distance to make sure she won't get hurt. I'll text you the address when I get it," Ryan replied.

Ryan hung up the phone and slide towards his computer. Jenny asked him what's wrong, and he replied that Beckett was MIA. He typed in her cell phone number and ran a trace.

With no place in particular on her mind, Kate just ran. The rain soaked through her clothes, and they clung against her like a second skin. Her hair stuck to her face, so she pushed it behind her ears. It's not always a good idea to run in heels while it's raining, but she somehow managed not to fall.

She ended up stopping in front of a part, completely out of breath. She surveyed the area, and her gaze fell on a set of swings. Recognition flew to her immediately, and she stumbled towards it for this wasn't just any swing set. It was _their _swings.

She cautiously sat down. She remembered how almost a year ago, she sat here asking for files and begging for his forgiveness. Now she sat alone with no company but the rain.

She shivered and wished she'd had sense to bring a jacket. The wind's chill didn't help to warm her. She slowly rocked herself on the balls of her feet, staring off into the vast nothingness.

A voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Lanie told her, "You really fucked things up; you know that, right?" She knew that she was talking about Castle. She desperately wanted to run over to his hotel room and cry on his shoulder. She wanted him to wrap his arms around her and whisper reassurances into her hair.

The reality hit her, and she was left to confront the question that was still unanswered. What was more important, her mother's murder or Castle? Her mother's murder had defined her, driven her. It made her who she was. However, she remembered what she'd told her therapist many months ago. She wanted to be more than who she was.

Then she looked toward the other option. She'd known Castle for about four years now. Four _long _years, she thought.

There was their first case together where Harrison Tisdale murdered his sister and two other people the same way Castle did in his books, _**Flowers for Your Grave**_,_** Hell Hath No Fury**_, and_** Death of a Prom Queen**_. She remembered how he tried to hit on her in the interrogation room and how she shot his advances down. She'd never tell him this, but he was actually pretty helpful when it came to solving the case, even though he was a pain in the ass.

Then there was the case of Melanie Cavanaugh who was found frozen in a construction site. Castle had made a comment about her father's watch that she wore. At the end of the case, she finally told him about her mother's murder. She then explained that the ring around her neck was for the life that she lost (her mother) and the watch for the life that she saved (her father).

The case of Susan Delgado who was found stuffed in a safe in her apartment. Kate related to Susan's daughter, Joanne Delgado, since they both lost their mothers. But, what made this case memorable was when she and Castle went undercover at a gala at the Waldorf. She remembered how he pulled her into a dance since it was "the only place they could talk and not be overheard" as he put it, but boy could the man dance!

She remembered when Sorenson requested for her to assist on a missing person's case. A little girl named Angela Candela was kidnapped out of her own home while her father, Alfred Candela, was painting in the other room. Kate remembered catching a glimpse of Castle staring at her when they found Angela and she had picked her up. She likes to think that that was the point when he started changing his personality from the play-boy womanizer.

She remembered the case with Dr. Joshua Leeds which they found with a plastic bag wrapped around his head, fingernails missing, and every finger broken in his car. There was another run-in with Sorenson which led to him getting shot after a meeting with Jimmy "The Rat" Moran. After that, Castle then tells her that he found a lead to her mother's murder. She remembered feeling betrayed and how she kicked him to the curb after her spoke.

They eventually repaired their partnership. The first Nikki Heat book, _**Heat Wave**_, had come out, and Castle had invited them to the book launch party. There she found out that Castle got the official offer to shadow a "certain British secret agent" for a book. They argued, and he chose to accept the offer. It was at the end of the case when they were saying their good byes that he gave up the offer to write more Nikki Heats.

When they got a case that was in the middle of the vampire sub-culture, he tried to get her a slutty nurse Halloween costume. He had invited her to his Halloween party, and he thought she didn't have a costume. She saw his imagination going wild when she showed up and was about to untie the belt of her coat. It was pretty funny to watch him jump back when the frog popped out.

The time when she met yet another one of Castle's exes came a case after that. Kyra Blaine's bridesmaid was murdered, and apparently Kyra and Castle dated for three years in college. Lanie had told her that she should be jealous of Kyra, and she teased her about Castle. She and Castle had attended the wedding, and she'd caught the bouquet.

The death of Jack Coonan brought up her mother's murder again. They caught Jack's killer, his own brother, Richard "Dick" Coonan. He was the one who stabbed her mom, and he agreed to tell her who hired him if he walked. Coonan almost shot Castle, but she shot him before he had the chance. Castle said that he would stop shadowing her, but she told him that she had gotten used to him pulling her pigtails.

The Scott Dunn case was one of the more interesting cases they've worked. There was the matter of a serial killer dedicating murders and targeting her. Castle felt obliged to "protect" her at one point and stayed at her apartment for the night (on the couch of course). He saved her from her burning apartment and offered her a place to stay. They made breakfast for each other, and he had her back when they went to save Agent Shaw. He claimed that she was jealous of her….and he was right.

She remembered how she watched him on the Bobby Mann show. When anyone passed by, she switched off the TV and pretended to do paperwork. Then she saw him with Ellie Monroe throughout the case, and she felt a pang of jealousy. She was glad when he broke things off with her.

Even though she was with Tom Demming, she still felt jealous when her best friend took him as her date. Madison Queller steals another one of her crushes yet again! She was almost relieved when she had to arrest her, but then Maddy had to embarrass her in the interrogation room by saying that she was "hot for Castle" and that she wanted to "make little Castle babies". Castle, of course, had to be on the other side of the mirror.

Kate had broken things off with Demming after considering Castle's invite to the Hamptons. She was finally ready to confess her feelings for him when Gina arrived. She learned that he had asked Gina to go with him after she declined. She hid the hurt in her eyes well until he had left.

In the fall, she arrested Castle when they found him with a dead body behind him and a gun in his hands. She was angry, but the small part of her that cared for him allowed her to accept his bet. She purposely let him win the bet so that he could be her partner again.

She was a bit skeptical when Penny Marchand pulled her aside to talk. She was even more when she said she had a dream about her. Then she told her that she will meet an Alexander and he will be extremely important to her. At some future date, he may even save her life. Kate then found out that Castle's given middle name was Alexander. Maybe Penny's dream wasn't too far-fetched…

She saw a bad side of her training officer in a case after that. They didn't find the gold while all the suspects were there, but Castle had an epiphany later. She and Castle had dug up the treasure, and she had given him a sweaty hug.

He had asked her how she knew when she was in love. She simply replied that all the songs made sense. At the case's end, he'd met Josh Davidson, her then boyfriend. She'd left with Josh, and she noticed Castle's expression as he watched them. In fact, she noticed his expression times after that when Josh was with her.

Their first run-in with 3xk was interesting. Marcus Gates had confessed to the killings, but when Castle and Ryan went to tell Jerry Tyson that they caught the guy, Castle figured out that Jerry was the real triple killer. Jerry knocked Ryan out and tied Castle to a chair before he disappeared. She had received a call from Martha and immediately went to Jerry's apartment where she found them. She sat next to Castle by the pool, and they held hands for the first time.

The "alien" case was a day at Disneyland for Castle. It was amusing to see the 9-year-old-on-a-suger-rush part of him. She panicked slightly when she woke up in her car with her head resting on Castle's shoulder. It was comfortable but alarming.

Natalie Rhodes shadowing her for research brought on another appearance of jealous Beckett. Natalie stole her coffee, mimicked her every move, dressed up like her, and even made out with Castle in the elevator. She was secretly happy when Natalie left.

Her mother's murder was brought up again with the murder of John Raglan, the investigating officer of the case. She remembered how Castle found the pictures of her skating with her mom and how eager he was to see evidence of the disastrous day. The kiss in the alley will be forever burned into her brain. She could still remember the feel of his lips on hers, his hands on her face, and his arms wrapped around her waist securing her to him.

He never could stay out of her personal life. She remembered how he came over unannounced after the case of the lottery winner. He said he finally knew what she would do if she won a million dollars. He said she'd honor her mother's memory, so he established a scholarship under her mother's name for students studying to be civil lawyers like her mother. She thanked him, and they planned a fundraiser together.

Damian Westlake brought up Castle's past. The two had met at Edgewyck Academy. Damian had taken Castle under his wing, and he mentored and encouraged Castle to write. When he turned out to be his wife's killer, she had asked if he was okay. She knew he was lying when he said he was, and they went out for a drink before her date with Josh.

The dirty bomb case brought on many memorable moments. There was the brief moment while they were waiting in a white room after they were exposed to high levels of radiation. She hinted that she wanted Castle to be the one to be there for her and she'd be there for him and they could just dive into it together. He was about to say something when a guy came in and gave them the all-clear. There was the time they spent in the freezer. She almost told him that she loved him, but then she passed out from the cold. There was the hug after Castle diffused the bomb and drinks with Ryposito and Montgomery.

They stayed in a suite in L.A. to solve Royce's murder. She remembered their talk on the couch at the end of that first day. She remembered that she fled to her room and how she considered going back out there. However, Castle had already gone into his room, and she didn't bother to go after him. She remembered reading Royce's letter and understanding what he meant by 'if only'.

She remembered their first real fight. She just kicked him out for telling the truth. Every word he said was true, but she was too stubborn to admit it. She remembered when he dragged her out of the hanger and how he kept her outside whispering soothing thoughts. She remembered being shot and hearing his declaration of love before she lost consciousness.

She remembered lying to him about remembering. She didn't call him for three months because she needed to sort things out and get away from anything relating to the case. She paid the price for her actions when she showed up at the book signing that day. She remembered how angry he sounded and the hurt in his eyes. She had led him to the nearby swing set, and she hinted that she wouldn't be able to have a relationship with him until the wall came down. In fact, that happened on the very swing she was sitting on.

Serena Kaye brought on yet another act for Jealous Beckett. She saw the way Serena and Castle looked at each other. She felt hurt when she saw Castle kissing Serena when she and Esposito exited Serena's hotel room after finding evidence. She was glad that she never had to see Serena after they recovered the fist and the killer was caught. She took Castle out for burgers at Remy's and all was well.

During their nightly visit to the haunted house, she'd played Castle and told him a story involving paranormal activity about her up at her parent's cabin. She later laughed when he actually believed her, and that's when the lights went out. She found a draft and asked for Castle to give her a boast. And he did not grab her legs like he was supposed to. His scream of tear when the corpse of Mark Benton fell on him made up for it.

The bank robbery case had her worry level on overtime. She hid her worry by focusing on the work that needed to be done and the prayer for him not to do anything to get himself killed. She felt a wave of relief wash over her when she saw him inside the bank while she was undercover as a paramedic. She held his hand briefly and spoke a sub-text reassurance to the sick patient. She remembered feeling a sense of dread when she heard the explosion, and the sense of relief when she found him alive and safe. She would've kissed him if Martha hadn't interrupted.

He had given her space during the sniper case. She knew he had told Esposito to do something to aid her. She should've been mad, but she honestly appreciated his effort to help her while she was dealing with her PTSD.

The tiger case was by far the strangest brush with death she'd ever had. She'd woken up hand-cuffed to Castle, and they didn't start off too great. But they found their rhythm, and they managed to stay alive until Ryan and Esposito could save them. He remarked about wanting to be hitched to her, and when she questioned it, he said that he meant cuffed. She replied that she knew what he meant, that she wouldn't mind spending another night hand-cuffed to him either, and that next time they should do it without the tiger.

He'd asked her if they should tell Ryan about Jenny. She had replied asking him that if they were getting married if he wanted to know about all the guys she'd slept with. He had asked for her number in turn giving her his. She had teased that men all wanted to know, but they don't want to know. She then agreed to be his plus-one to Ryan's wedding, and they had a fun time.

She'd caught his slip up when he was reading from the private investigator's diary. He had accidentally said her name when he meant Vera Mulqueen. He had quickly covered it by claiming he had said fate and was being poetic.

Sophia Turner had brought Jealous Beckett out of retirement. She saw the way they looked at each other, and she found out that Sophia was his first muse. She saw the tension between them. She had slight doubts about pursuing a relationship with Castle when Sophia told her the story about her relationship with Castle. Later it turned out that Sophia was a traitor, so she didn't think too much of the story.

She held his hand while watching an encore performance of his mother's play. She opened up to him more and told him what she studied for at Stanford. All was well until he started pulling away during the Boylan plaza case.

She now knew that he'd found out about her lying about remembering. The recent fight that ended their partnership rang in her ears again. He'd laid his heart out to her, and she'd stomped on it.

This brings back the question that still remained unanswered. What was more important? She sat in the rain a while no longer registering the cold before she made up her mind.

Richard Castle hit the backspace button yet again before he closed the lid of his laptop. Ever since Beckett had sent him home, he tried to distract himself from thinking about his little girl. Obviously he couldn't do that since it was still on his mind. Was this how his mother felt when he didn't call to let her know he'd be home later?

Speaking of Hurricane Martha, he had no clue where she disappeared off to. He honestly didn't want to know since he'd be further damaged if he knew. All he did was hum in response when she'd told him she was going out.

The sound of rain was all the sound there was in the room. It was lit only by a small lamp he'd turned on. He sat on the couch eating slices out of the pizza box lying next to his laptop.

A soft knock broke the silence. He took the last remaining bite of his current slice and got up. Who would be at his door at this hour of the night?

He unlocked the hotel room door and opened it. His face fell when he saw who was on the other side, but a small part of him felt astonished. For Kate Beckett stood at his door soaking wet from the rain.

He was about to ask that she'd leave when he saw the tears in her eyes. His anger went out the window for a moment as he let her in. He shuts the door, and she buries her face into his shirt. He reluctantly wraps her into his embrace, whispering reassurances into her hair as he leads them to the couch. He moves the box and laptop from the couch before he gently sets her down on one of the cushions. He moves to sit next to her but keeps a small distance between them.

"What happened?" he asks when he sees her tears slow.

She tucks a few strands of hair behind her ear before she says, "I mentioned Jenna Rose's murder to my dad over dinner. When I mentioned the Rose family's names, his face got all pale, and then he asked if he could see a picture of them. I thought it was a bit strange, but I did it anyway and then he…" She paused for a moment and looked down at her hands.

"And then he?" Castle prompted. Kate looked into his eyes and said, "And then he told me that Jenna and Rebecca Rose were my sisters."

Castle's eyes widened at her confession. "How is that possible?" he asked. "He said that when I went to this camp for four months in the summer when I was 9, my mom gave birth to twin girls. He said that they couldn't keep them since they couldn't afford it. They gave them to Ross and Carol a day before I returned from camp," she replied. Castle remained silent since he sensed that there was more to the story.

"Their real names where Audrey Hannah and Madison Nicole. Madison's middle name was the same as my mother's twin, Savannah," she continued. "What happened to her?" he asked. "We never found out. After her husband was murdered and her kids were kidnapped a few months before I was born, she distanced herself from the family," she replied.

Silence overtook the two. She buried her face into his shirt again, and he could feel tears. At some point between the time she walked through that door and now, his anger had melted away. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here," he whispered.

Kate sniffled and looked up. Her sobbing turned into a few tears welled up in her eyes. Her eyes met his in an intense gaze, and they just sat there in silence.

It might've been just a spur of the moment thing, but it was a decision that altered their lives for the better. Kate's eyes flicked down to his lips and just as quickly returned to his eyes. He gazed into hers clearly mesmerized by them. They both slowly leaned in until they were but a breath away.

And then their lips clashed in a simple kiss. Castle pulled back first and pushed Kate back when she tried to lean back for more. He saw the confusion in her eyes and said, "Once we do this, there's no going back. I just want you to be sure that this is what you want and that you are ready."

Kate hesitated for a moment before she remembered her decision on the swings. She nodded and offered him a small smile. She waited a beat as he considered it too.

Then he pulled her into a slow but heated kiss. They poured all their love for each other into it. His hand came up to run through her slick hair, the other pinning her to him. She straddled his waist and ran her hands through his soft hair.

He pulled back to trail kisses down her neck. She arched back giving him better access. He reached the first button of her shirt, and he unbuttoned it. He saw her round puckered scar for the first time. He gazed at it for a moment as the memories of that day flew to his mind before he placed a kiss on it.

Kate pulled him up for another kiss, this one short and sweet. She reached for his shirt and began to slowly unbutton it. He paused her movements before he got up off the couch. Her long legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her to his bedroom. He slammed the door shut as they began a night filled with passion and all the love they had suppressed for so many years for tonight they were making up for lost time.

**A/N: Longest. Chapter. Ever. You're welcome.**


	28. Bedtime Memories

**A/N: Yeah, sorry about the long chapter before. I stayed up till 2 in the morning writing that last scene, so you're welcome. Time to figure out what happens to Alexis. **

**(Again, this chapter is dedicated to PruedenceKimberly and rickkate3)**

Chapter 27

Johanna was just about to go sleep herself when she noticed that Alexis had left the ice pack behind. From her own experiences, she knew that Alexis should keep her cheek on ice to avoid swelling.

Johanna added fresh ice to the bundle and prepared to crawl through the wall. She stopped when she heard a noise. Is Alexis alright?

"The boys are all out. It's just me here. That means I can do whatever the hell I want as long as I don't kill you," she heard. It sounded like it was that Steve guy.

Oh god, he's not going to- Johanna grabbed a metal rod and crawled through. The jackass isn't going to hurt Alexis Castle under her watch.

Alexis struggled to break free. Steve was eyeing her in a way that made her uncomfortable. She'd read enough books and seen enough movies to know what's going to happen next.

However, what happens next is something she didn't expect. "Hey jackass, hands off the girl!" she hears. Johanna. Alexis shed a few tears in delight. Thank the mythical god that answered her pleads for help.

Steve turned when he heard a voice. He saw the old lady standing behind him. "What's an old lady like you going to do if I don't?" he asked cockily.

He got his answer. Johanna swung the metal rod at him, striking him in his temple. Steve crumbled to the floor. Blood leaked out from the place the pointy end of the rod struck him.

Alexis gazed up at Johanna in awe. The woman in question blew a strand of hair out of her face before saying, "That's where all the softball practice comes in handy. Are you okay, kid?"

Alexis nodded and looked down at Steve who remained unconscious. Johanna came forward and untied the gag and rope that held her arms back. Alexis gasped as she breathed in oxygen again, nodding her thanks to the older woman.

"C'mon, you can sleep in my room. It is no longer safe for you to be here," she said. Alexis merely nodded and made a makeshift sack out of the blanket. She filled said sack with clothes and books.

Johanna shoved the sack through first before she helped Alexis through. She followed and sealed the hole behind them. Alexis remained silent the whole time.

Johanna unpacked Alexis' things and organized them. They now sat in a neat stack beside hers.

Johanna turned back to see that Alexis was standing by the wall shifting uncomfortably. "Here, put this against your cheek. Don't worry; I won't bite," she joked. This coaxed out a smile from the young redhead, and she accepted the bundle with gratitude.

Alexis yawned again. Johanna pushed aside the blankets and motioned for Alexis to lie down. Johanna tucked Alexis in just like she used to do for Katie.

"Can you tell me a story?" Alexis asked. She remembered how her dad would always tell her a bedtime story after she had a nightmare, even now when she was older. It's silly, but it helps.

Johanna smiled at the girl's request. She nodded and sifted through the memories in her head.

"Anything in particular?" she asked. "Play me a memory," Alexis replied. Johanna caught the song lyric reference and smiled.

"When Katie was about 14, your father's first book, _**In a Hail of Bullets**_, had just come out. I read it, and I immediately loved it. Katie took no interest in reading; she was working to save up for a motorcycle. But I knew she had a weak spot for mystery novels, so I gave it to her as a birthday present. She commented that she didn't like reading, and that no book would make her like it again. I replied to give it a try, and that she'll thank me later.

"After that, when I went to go check on her, I caught her reading it. She seemed so wrapped into the story that she didn't notice Jim or me knocking on her door. I told Jim just to leave her alone for a while. She'd have to come out to eat sometime.

"When dinner was ready, she came up to me and said she'd read the book. I acted surprised even though I obviously knew. I asked her what she thought of it, and she replied, "It was fracken awesome! How come I've never heard of this guy?"

"I laughed and replied that he was a new mystery writer, and that was his first book. She begged me to take her to one of his signings days later, and I agreed. She hugged me for the first time in years and sped away to her room.

"You should've seen how nervous she was standing in that line. She was a wreck and clutched her copy in her hands like her life depended on it. When we got to the table, they exchanged a conversation that went a little like this:"

"Who should I make it out to?" he asked her. Katie replied with her name and handed him the book. "Kate, that's a pretty name for a pretty girl," he commented. She blushed and replied with a thank you. "Thanks for coming out today and for reading my work. I wasn't expecting it to become this popular when I first wrote it," he said. "You're a really great writer, Mr. Castle. I love mystery novels, and this one rivals Patterson, Cannell, Connelly, and Lehane's," she'd said. "Well, thank you. That's the best review I could ever get, and please call me Rick. Mr. Castle makes me feel old," he'd said. I whispered to Kate that we had to go, and they exchanged good byes," Johanna finished.

"Whaa did Daddy write in the book?" Alexis asked sleepily. "I don't know. Katie never let me read it," Johanna replied. "I remember when she came to another signing. I was six, and she made him smile a genuine one. They were cute even back then," Alexis said, yawning.

"Get some rest, Alexis. I'll wake you if anything happens," Johanna whispered. And with that, the young redhead fell asleep, curling into the mattress.

**A/N: I know it's short, but here you go. As of now, I am fresh out of ideas. Care to leave a few suggestions?**


	29. Letting It All Out

**A/N: I'm still alive. I'm truly sorry that I haven't updated like I promised. At first, it was that my weekends were crammed with projects that I had to do. Then, my word document wasn't working, and I barely got it fixed today. So, I thought I'd try something different for this update. I hope you enjoy this and that it's worth the wait! Reviews equal sooner updates. Also, a big thanks goes out to my Tumblr buddies, stanakaticfillion, brokenlikeapromise, and castlefreak005. Without them, this chapter wouldn't exist. (Okay, I'll shut up now.)**

Chapter 28

"Damnit!" Ryan exclaimed, throwing the laptop across the room. The trace was unsuccessful. "Hey, it's okay," Jenny stated, attempting to comfort her husband.

"No, Jenny, it's not okay. First KidCastle goes missing, and now I can't find Beckett," he snapped back before he buried his face in his hands. Jenny waited patiently before speaking as she knew Kevin long enough to know that he's not finished.

"Beckett has always been and always will be one of my best friends. I love Kate more like a sister. I feel obliged to protect her at all cost, same goes for Javi. With Alexis, she's like that sweet little sister everyone loves. Kate's more of the badass one that everyone respects. When she comes to visit Castle on her lunch break, Javi and I always like to tease her like the older brothers she never had. Beckett gets along with Alexis too, but it's more of a motherly/older sister love. I know we'll find Beckett eventually, but what if we can't find Alexis? What if we do find her, but she's already dead?" Ryan ranted on.

Jenny smiled at her husband's concern. It was so sweet how he cared for his colleagues as if they were family. It was one of those things that attracted him to her.

"You'll find them, Kev. Beckett will be safe, and together along with Javi, you'll track Alexis down and bring her home. Meanwhile, you'll make sure that Castle is okay and that he isn't without hope. I know you can do this, Kev. You just need to believe in yourself. Now, pick up that laptop and track down your boss," Jenny stated.

Ryan lifted up his head to meet the gaze of his wife. He smiled and nodded, "Thanks, Jenny. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Yeah, well, don't stay up too late," she whispered before pecking his cheek. She then left him to do his job and headed for bed.

Ryan reluctantly reached for the laptop that somehow managed to survive the throw. He re-entered Beckett's number and waited for the system to trace her number. He pulled up a picture from his library and managed a smile. This was taken at the precinct one day when all they were doing was paperwork. Castle had taken them to this awesome place where everything was from the medieval times. Javi, Castle, and he were dressed in fake chainmail. Castle wore a plastic crown, but the three men each wore a red cape. Kate and Alexis each wore dresses, and Kate wore a fake crown similar to Castle. Half of the picture was them with a serious face, but the other half had the friends bearing silly faces. Kevin's grin grew as he remembered that day, and he closed the window. That was when the trace finished, and he got a hit…

Esposito knew something was bothering her. She barely spoke or touched her food at dinner that night. Instead of wanting to go to a night club for a while, she just wanted to go home. As soon as they were in her apartment, he finally asked, "What's on your mind, Chica?"

Lanie looked up at him from her position on the couch. Esposito saw the tears in her eyes, and he immediately went to sit by her. He wasn't sure of what to do without over-stepping the line between whatever this was and boyfriend. Then she buried her face into his shirt and sobbed, so he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and whispering soothing things into her hair.

"I'm worried about Alexis and Beckett," he heard her choke out. He waited patiently for her to continue, knowing now from experience that it wasn't a good idea to interrupt her.

"I know Kate is safe somewhere, but I hate not knowing where. We've been roommates since she enrolled into the academy. She's like a sister to me. I wish she'd stop disappearing on us like that. I'm hoping that she finally got her head out of her ass and is making babies with Castle right now, but I think that's highly unlikely," she rambled.

"I've gotten to spend so much more time with Alexis ever since she started her internship. It's nice to have someone to talk to in the morgue who isn't Perlmutter. She's got Castle's eagerness to learn about everything, and she has a lot of dish on Castle that can be used against him. She's like a little sister," Lanie continued.

"Look, Lanie, I care about Beckett and Alexis too. They're like family. Ry and I tease Kid Castle all the time when she comes to visit Castle and we protect Beckett like older brothers," he said. "Javi, you've worked in Special Forces, right? What are the chances of a hostage surviving in a kidnapping case?" she asked.

His look told her everything she needed to know. "Look, Lanes, we'll find Beckett first. Then, our kick-ass girl will find Alexis with our help and bring her home. I promise you, Lanie, we will find her," he said. "I feel so useless being a medical examiner. I have no authority to help with the case," she whispered. "You do have a job. You stay strong and make sure Beckett is okay emotionally. Only then can we bring Little Castle home," Esposito finished.

"Thanks, Javi," she whispered, smiling up at him. He smiled back and just held her there in silence. That's when his phone rang. It was Ryan.

His little girl was missing. His little girl could be hurt or worse. Here we go again.

Kate had distracted him from worrying with…well you get the picture. He sure as hell won't be forgetting this anytime soon. She was right when she said he had no idea when they "parted ways" on their first case.

He turned his head to look at her. She looked even more beautiful in sleep. Wrapped in nothing but the white sheet, she looked like an angel. Her hair covered the pillow, and she looked year younger (not saying that she was old). She curled into his side, fitting perfectly.

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He watched her sleep for a few minutes with the knowledge that she wouldn't call him out on how creepy it was. He squeezed her hip before he returned to his original sleeping position.

Only now could he allow himself to let it all fully sink in. His little girl was kidnapped. The person who murdered Kate's mother hired Kate's sniper to kidnap her, so that means Kate was in danger too. He failed both as a father and a partner.

He wondered how Alexis was doing right now. He hoped she was sleeping safe and unharmed. That's all a parent could hope for in these kinds of situations.

He looked at his BAMF, remarkable, maddening, challenging, and frustrating…girlfriend? Is it safe to call her that now? They slept together, so that has to mean that they're together. She wouldn't have a one-night stand with him; she saw it in her eyes that she's in it for the long haul.

That's a topic they needed to discuss in the morning. When he blinked again, he felt tears in his eyes. Damn it, Rick. Get yourself together, he told himself. He reached to the little bedside table and opened the drawer. He pulled out the only object inside before closing the drawer again.

It was Monkey Bunky. The one thing Alexis could never part with when she was little. It looked like road kill now. He'd tried to throw it away, but then she'd threaten him with bodily harm.

He felt Kate snuggle in closer to him as if sensing his parental phobia. They had this weird connection where they'd know how the other was feeling. He smiled and let the tears fall as silently as possible. He usually hid his emotion behind some smart-ass remark or a joke, but right now with just Kate, he allowed himself to let go.

He knew that he would have a bitch of a headache when he woke up, but he didn't care. He grew dreary, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Her hair smelled like a mixture of rain water and the cherry scent he loved so much. Soon he shut his eyes with the belief that they'd find his little girl no matter what.

Martha's phone had gone off earlier that evening just as she was heading to bed. She'd sent a text to a blocked number on the burner phone she'd bought. The person had replied and asked her to meet them at a coffee shop on Crosby.

That's where she was headed now in the dead of night. She'd learned from Detective Ryan that Kate was missing but was assured that they're tracking her down now. She thanked him for the update and wished him well.

The coffee shop was deserted as it was almost midnight. She walked to the booth in the corner where she saw a figure sitting there. She slid into the seat opposite of the figure before they finally looked up.

It was a man, around her age, with grey hair and soft brown eyes. He wore a dark green baseball hat to shield his face, and a pair of black sunglasses hung off the opening of his brown leather jacket where he wore a brown collared shirt underneath.

"Hello, Martha. It's nice to see you again after all these years," he stated, offering a smile that was oddly familiar. "You haven't changed," Martha said, offering a smile. "Neither have you. You still look beautiful as you did when we first met, even more so now," he replied, taking her hand in his.

"Did you find her?" Martha asked a few seconds later. "Yes, and I gave her the phone that she called Detective Beckett from," he replied. "Is it true?" she asked. At his puzzled expression, she said, "Is it true that Johanna Beckett is still alive? Are they coming for Richard and Kate?"

"Yes to both. Johanna is keeping Alexis safe, and the man who shot Detective Beckett last summer is holding them hostage. They're using Alexis as bait to lure Ricky and Detective Beckett so that they can eliminate them," he replied.

"What can we do?" she asked. "This Detective Beckett, does she care about Ricky?" he asked. "More than I can say," she replied. "Then we need to let her know. She's the only one Ricky will listen to, and she can protect him as he protects her," he said.

"There's only one problem. Detective Ryan called and said that Detective Beckett was missing-" "I think she will answer if you call her cell phone," he cut her off. "How do you-" "Just trust me on this," he simply stated.

And with that, Martha reached for her cell phone and scrolled through her contact list. She found Detective Beckett and hit the call button. She waited patiently while it rang.

It was her turn to do the creepy staring. The room was lit only by the moon light peeking through the curtains. There was no one in the hotel room except herself and her sleeping partner.

Kate watched the rise and fall of his bare chest as he slept. He looked so peaceful, and he looked years younger. His hair was adorably mushed, and he snored a little.

She reached for his discarded shirt and slipped it on. She then slipped out of bed carefully, trying not to jostle it too much. She slowly walked to the door and slipped out.

She walked over to the little mini fridge and grabbed a pint of milk and some Oreos before she sat down on the couch. She dipped one of the Oreos into the milk before she took a bite. She continued this while she stared into space.

Ever since the case started, she kept up her professional persona. She threw herself into her work, keeping busy so that she didn't have time to show emotion. It was what she was great at.

But now, in the dead of night, she finally removed the mask and let her emotions run free. She allowed herself to let go with no fear of appearing weak.

She couldn't understand why there were tears in her eyes. Sure, she and Alexis got along well. They weren't necessarily close, but they respected each other, and Alexis often came to her for advice. Of course she would be worried about her, she was like family, but the question was on what level was she worried?

The older sister worry just didn't seem to fit. Ryan and Esposito cared about Alexis like they care about her, more of the older brother love. How did she see herself to Alexis?

Like a mother, that annoying voice in the back of her head stated. She seemed startled at this realization. She could deny it all she wanted, but deep down, she saw Alexis as a daughter.

She needed to find Alexis. It wasn't just because she had somewhat motherly concern for the girl, but also for Castle. If they lose Alexis, she loses him. He'll no longer be that immature, egotistical, self-centered jackass that she fell in love with.

She looked down and realized that she'd finished her midnight snack. She got up and threw away her trash. She then made her way back to the bedroom where her sleeping partner lay.

She quickly got dressed in the spare clothes she'd managed to bring, making as little noise as possible. She found her gun, holster, and badge before she slipped the badge to her belt and slipped the gun into the holster that was also clipped to her belt. She stole one of Castle's coats and slipped it on.

She stopped to write a quick letter before she placed it on the pillow she had slept on. She stopped to stare at his sleeping form a while longer. She leaned in and whispered something in his ear, gave him a quick kiss, and then left the room.

Her phone buzzed just as she was about to leave. She answered it with the standard, "Beckett", not bothering to check who it was. "Hello, Kate," came the response. "Hello, Martha, how are you?" she asked, now standing in the hallway outside the room. "I'm fine. Listen, could you meet me at the Housing Works Bookstore Café on Crosby?" she asked. Kate could tell that Martha was nervous about something, so she agreed and headed that way.


	30. Breaking Out

**A/N: Very sorry for not updating soon. I've had many ideas for this chapter, but everything I wrote looked like crap in my eyes. Special thanks to my friend, Othella. Without you, this chapter wouldn't exist. **

**P.S. Spring Break is next week, so updates will come sooner with all the free time I will have.**

**Enjoy and please review. I take suggestions and try to weave them into plot lines. Don't hesitate to leave a bad review since they help to make this story better.**

Chapter 29

Johanna had dozed off herself when she heard voices in the distance. She bolted up, now wide-awake despite how tired she was. She tried to interpret who was talking and what they were saying.

It was Cedric Marks. He was talking to Michael and James, two other guards, about the night they'd spent drinking at a local pub. He then mentioned having a case of Captain Morgan's for Steve since he had to stay here.

Oh god, Steve. When Marks found out about Steve, he'll be looking for them. They needed to get out of here.

_"And this one's from me." Alexis accepted the present from her father, whispering her thanks. It was her fourth birthday, and she could finally open her presents._

_ They were at the loft, which had a Harry Potter theme. Even though she couldn't read yet, she loved Harry Potter and demanded her father to read it to her every night until the caught up with the series. She wore a miniature version of the Hogwarts robes, and a colorful birthday hat rested on her head._

_ Her father sat in front of her, next to the pile of opened presents and the discarded wrapping paper and tissue. He also wore a colorful birthday hat, and he had on a Batman t-shirt along with a well-worn pair of pants. Her grandmother stood off to a corner taking pictures, wearing her usual extravagant clothing in all the colors of the rainbow._

_ Her three best friends, Taylor, Kelsey, and Paige, were all eagerly eyeing the present in her lap. They matched her outfit with their Hogwarts robes and multicolor part hats. Alexis ripped off the wrapping paper and tossed it aside. Yet another quality she inherited from her father._

_ She threw open the lid of the box and pushed aside the wrapping paper. She gasped squealed before looking up at her father and asking, "Really?" _

_ "What is it, Lexi?" her friends asked. "It's a laser tag vest and gun!" Alexis squealed. "We can play whenever you want now that you can pull the trigger on mine without too much difficulty," her father said. "Thank you, Daddy!" she exclaimed, wrapping her little arms around his neck in a hug._

_ "Happy Birthday, pumpkin," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her tiny frame. "Now, who wants cake? I'm starving," he said in his normal tone. The children all murmured their agreement before they followed him to the kitchen where the Harry Potter themed cake rested._

"ALEXIS!" a voice shouted. Alexis' eyes shot open before she sat up quickly, hitting her head against something. "Ow," she said.

"Sorry I had to wake you, sweetie, but we have to get up." Oh, the voice belonged to Johanna. Also, the thing her head connected with was Johanna's arm.

"What's wrong?" Alexis asked her voice raspy from sleep. "Marks is back, and Steve is still dead. We have to leave," she whispered.

Alexis craned her neck and heard his voice. He sounded close. "Okay, let's pack a bit of food and some clean clothes in a bag just in case we end up in the middle of nowhere," Alexis suggested, now wide awake. Johanna nodded and started throwing a few things in a duffel bag.

Alexis placed the phone in a side pocket for safekeeping. She made her way to the door and found the lock. She pulled some bobby pins from her hair and started to pick the lock.

"Are you sure you know how to do that?" Johanna asked. "My dad was researching for Derrick Storm and taught me how to pick locks. He even bought a door for us to practice on," Alexis explained, swearing under her breathe as the fifth one broke.

"And how long ago was this?" Johanna asked, handing her another bobby pin. "I was ten. It's quite simple. Really," she said.

After breaking three more, they finally heard the lock click. "I got it!" Alexis exclaimed, taking out the pin and opening the door. The two women silently went out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Which way should we go?" whispered Johanna. "Um…how about right? Left is where Marks is," Alexis said. "Good point," Johanna replied.

They barely got five steps away when they heard him. "Hey! Get back over here!" They ran, and that ran turned into a sprint when they heard him yell in rage. "WHEN I CATCH YOU TWO, I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR KILLING MY BROTHER! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES!"

Finding themselves at a dead end, they ducked into a vacant room. Alexis closed the door behind them. There was a window and, lucky for them, a fire escape. Alexis pried the window open and ushered Johanna to climb down. Alexis was just about to climb down herself when she saw Marks enter the room.

Alexis saw a trash bin below them. "JUMP!" she yelled. Johanna gave her a do-I-really-have-to look, and Alexis returned it with one of the glares she learned from Detective Beckett. Sighing, Johanna let go of the ladder and landed in the trash bin before climbing out. Alexis then did the same and landed somewhat softly. She scrambled out of it before grabbing Johanna's arm and running.

They ran onto a street, dodging traffic. Alexis thought about how this resembled one of the James Bond movies her dad. "Now's not the time to think of Bond, Alexis," she scolded herself.

Johanna was a few feet away from her. She nodded towards the alley, and they both ran into it. They ducked behind a trash bin, both out of breathe.

Alexis stole a glance, looking for Marks. She was bracing herself to fight against him and at least let Johanna make a run for it. He was nowhere in sight. This both relieved her and troubled her.

That's when she felt a cold hand placed forcefully on her mouth…


	31. Revelations and Decisions

**A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner. My brother made me watch Game of Thrones with him when he got home, and it was quite an eye-opener. Back to writing for me before I spend a few days re-watching the seasons of Castle. I'm not really proud of this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it. Don't worry; the story is soon coming to a close as I'm not sure how much longer I can stretch it out. Review and suggest please. **

**P.S. You will find out who the mysterious guy is in this chapter.**

Chapter 30

Kate nodded at the doorman as she stepped away from the Four Seasons. She shivered and tucked her face deeper into the collar of his jacket. It was too cold to walk and a little too far, so she hailed a cab.

"Where to, miss?" the cabbie asked. "Housing Works Bookstore Café on Crosby, please," she stated. The taxi soon pulled off the curb and turned onto Chambers Street.

A few minutes later, the cab pulled up to the café. "$7.93, ma'am," the cabbie informed her. She tossed a ten at him and instructed him to keep the change.

Kate looked around at the patrons of the café. It was late, so there weren't that many people there. She spotted Martha in the back corner along with a man she's never seen before, and she headed that way.

Kate slipped into the booth, sitting next to Martha. Martha handed her a mug of coffee, and Kate nodded her thanks before taking a sip. She hadn't realized how tired she was.

"You must be Detective Beckett," the man finally said. "That's correct. You know my name, yet I do not know yours," she stated, subtly asking for his name.

"The name's Jackson Hunt," he replied. "Sounds made up," Kate replied. "It is," he said.

"Kate, we'll be happy to answer all your questions, but I have to ask this. Where have you been? The others are looking for you," Martha asked.

Kate stared at her coffee like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. She waited a few seconds before casually saying, "That's not important."

"It is important, Kate," Martha stated.

"I know where you were," Hunt blurted out. This caused the detective to look up at him with one eye before saying, "Do you now?" Her eyes dared him to continue, but this was a quality he passed onto his son.

"You weren't walking all night. You're clothes aren't wet from the rain. That says that you went into a building. Your hair is almost dry. That says that you stayed in the building for a while, and you changed clothes while you were there. It took you about eight minutes to get here by cab after Martha called you, so that tells me that the building wasn't very far from here. It wasn't a restaurant since you don't smell like food, and you didn't go shopping either since you carry no bags other than your purse with you. That tells me hotel, the Four Seasons to be exact. The coat you're wearing belongs to a man, one at least fifty pounds heavier than you and quite tall, maybe six feet. Judging on the brand of the coat, the man has money, so he would get a room that consisted of two rooms joined together. Either you get over guys fast and normally attract rich gentlemen, which based on your track record is not true, or you went to go see Richard. I have to guess the latter," Hunt concluded.

Kate felt her cheeks flame up with embarrassment. How did he know that? Was she really that obvious? She made sure that the mask hiding her emotions was still up.

"Cute trick," was all she said. That was all he needed to know to prove that he was right. He leaned back and slightly smirked.

Martha's eyes widened at Hunt's observation. She turned to look at Kate, and the blush on her cheeks told her that it was true. She smiled at the detective, happy that Richard and Kate finally opened their eyes and saw what was right in front of them.

"This is where you can ask your questions, Kate," Martha said.

Kate didn't need to be told twice. "How do you know about me? About Castle? Alexis? Martha? Which agency do you work for? Before you ask, I know a guy working for the law when I see one. Why the interest in Castle and his family? Why did you call me? If it's Castle you're worried about, why not call him here too? Are you involved with Alexis Castle's kidnapping somehow? Are you working for the man who killed my mother? Are you the man who killed my mother?"

Hunt smiled at her questions. She lived up to her title as a detective. "I see what my son sees in you, Detective," he said.

Her eyes widened. "Y-your son? But-"

"That's right, Kate-may I call you Kate. I'm Richard's father. I guess that answers about five of your questions," he replied.

This just fueled more questions. "Why did you leave? Martha, did you know this entire time? How did you find out about Rick and Alexis? Why did you never visit him?" she asked, shock etched in her features.

"I can only answer so much at a time, Kate. I guess in order for it to make sense, I have to tell you the whole story.

"Long ago, Martha and I spent the night together. We were very much in love. I had just finished a job and the next day, things went south. I had to get out of the city fast. It was a year before I was stateside again, and that was when I found out about Richard. With my job, there can be no communication and no relationships to anyone.

"Oh and I have met him before, but I'm not sure he remembers. He was about 10, and Martha took him to the library. He was looking for a book, and I gave him a copy of Casino Royale. When he was looking for research for his Storm series, I greased some wheels in the agency and got him access. It was a pity that Sophia turned out to be a mole," he said.

"Wait, you're CIA? You know about his Derrick Storm series? You've read his books?" Kate asked. She was silently hoping that he didn't read the Nikki Heat series.

"Yes to all. That's how I found out about you," he replied. Shit, she thought. She felt her cheeks start to flame up again. "Well, most of those books are just pure fiction," she replied, trying her best to hide her embarrassment.

Hunt smiled at her discomfort. "I knew that getting him access to the CIA via Sophia wasn't much, but it made me feel like father. I've been looking after them from afar all these years.

"As for your mother's case, I'm not a part of it. I only want my family to be safe, and like it or not, you're part of the family. I called you because Martha deems you trustworthy, and you're the only one Richard will listen to," he said.

"My first question for you is where were you planning on going before Martha called you? You were obviously not going to the precinct since your Captain has ordered you to have the night off. You're carrying a gun and cash along with a passport, so where were you going?" he asked.

Her silence told him all he needed to know. "Do you honestly think you can find her despite not knowing where the hell she is?" he asked. She didn't even blink, and he couldn't read any emotion on her face.

"Do you have a better plan, Hunt?" she asked. "Look, I get it. I care about Alexis too, almost like a daughter. If we lose her, we lose him, and I can't let that happen. I have to do this."

Hunt studied the younger woman's face. He saw determination and the love she felt for his son in her eyes. He knew that no matter what he said, she won't back down.

"You love him, don't you?" he asked. "He is everything to me," she replied. "Are you willing to risk everything for him?" he asked. "I'll go to hell and back if I must. I'll die for him without a second thought," she replied.

"Okay, Kate. If you want to save Alexis, you need to come with me. I know exactly where she is, but I will need help. I don't wanna drag my son into this, and I don't want you to run into it without help. We have the same goal, so why not kill two birds with one stone?" he told her.

"What about Rick and the case here?" she asked. "Leave Richard to me. As for the case, I think Kevin and Javier can handle it while you're gone. I'll tell them as well as the captain and your father only as much as they need to know. Go bring my granddaughter home, Kate," Martha said. Kate nodded and looked at the older man.

"Where are we headed?" she asked. "Rome," he said. "Sounds like fun. When are we going?" she asked.

"Now. Don't worry about baggage and passports. I've got a suitcase ready for the both of us and a scheduled flight there by private jet," he replied. All three stood up. Kate turned to hug Martha before she whispered, "Tell him that I love him and that I will do everything in my power to get his little girl home."

"I promise," Martha said. She exchanged a hug with Hunt, and she felt him squeeze her hand reassuringly. "I'll keep her safe," he whispered.

"Ready, kid?" he asked. "As I'll ever be," she replied, offering a small, nervous smile. "Let's go save Alexis and put those sons of bitches in the ground," he said. With that, the detective and the agent left the café, heading off to save Alexis.


	32. Calling in the Cavalry

**A/N: Sorry I know I promised to update sooner, but then my parents decided that we had things to do. I don't know when I will update next, but I will try next weekend. I'm not really sure about this one, but I had to get it out there. Enjoy and please review/pm. **

Chapter 31

The sun's rays awakened him. He squinted and ran a hand down his face to clear his vision. He ran a hand through his messy hair and looked to his side where he was expecting to find her still sleeping peacefully, looking like a fucking goddess.

Instead, he saw empty sheets. He hesitantly felt them. They were cold, like she'd left hours ago.

He felt hurt and rage at the idea of her leaving before he woke up. She left like this was just a one-night stand and nothing more. He'd only agreed to do this because he made her promise that she was all in.

He threw the pillow she had slept on in a fit of rage. He turned his head to check what time it was. That's when he saw the folded up note resting on the table in between the lamp and the clock.

He yanked the note free and held it in his hands like it held life-saving information. He thought he heard something shattering, but he chose to ignore it. With his hands shaking, he carefully unfolded it and read:

Dear Rick,

I know you must have a lot of questions if you've found this note. I want to let you know that I'm sorry for leaving, but it has nothing to do with us. I am still all in, but I have to find Alexis. I have to bring her home safe in sound because if we lose her, we lose you too. Don't even try and stop me. By now, I would be long gone, and there is no way you can trace me through my cell phone or credit cards. I want you to know that I love you and that I will do everything in my power to find your little girl and bring her home. Even if it involves sacrificing myself in her place.

Love, Kate

He finished reading it and placed it beside him. "Damnit, Kate!" he yelled in frustration before he got up. He slipped on his discarded boxers and searched for his pants. Finding it, he dug around in the pockets until he found his phone.

He hit speed dial number 5 and waited. "C'mon, pick up the phone, Damnit!" he exclaimed.

Ryan was startled awake by the sound of his phone ringing. He sighed before he untangled himself from Jenny and walked over to his desk. He picked it up without looking at the caller ID before he gave his standard response, "Ryan."

He heard a bunch of gibberish that he couldn't make sense of. He looked at the phone and saw that it was Castle. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Castle, slow down. Tell me what's wrong," he said, silently bracing himself for the worst.

"Beckett went looking for Alexis," came his response. "What? Beckett was with you the whole time?" Ryan asked, silently motioning to Jenny to call in the cavalry.

Castle paused before saying, "Not important." "The hell it isn't! She's been MIA for hours now!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Really? I did not know that…Anyway, that's not the point," Castle replied.

"Listen, come over to my apartment. The cavalry is coming. You can explain there," Ryan said.

An hour later, they were all there. Lanie and Javier brought the comfort food, his mother brought her charming personality, Jim brought brownies, Ryan and Jenny provided the booze, and Rick brought information. Gates made an appearance herself, and she seemed to be glaring at Castle as usual.

Everyone was looking at him expectantly, so he sighed before he began. "Beckett stopped by my hotel room. She looked tired and was soaked from the rain, so I let her in. She slept over in my room while I took the couch, and when I woke up, she was gone. She left a note saying that she was going to look for Alexis," he said.

He could clearly tell that they were skeptical. He wasn't lying-he just wasn't telling the whole truth. He could tell that Jim and his mother did not believe him at all, but they said nothing.

"Do you know where exactly she is going?" Ryan asked, breaking the silence. No way in hell did he believe Castle's story, but if he kept something from them, he had his reasons.

"No, but she's smart. She won't use her cell phone or her credit cards. She knows we can track her that way. She won't be found until she wants to," he stated. "We'll find her. She's bound to call you soon, knowing her," Lanie said.

It was their only option. Ryan set up the tracing equipment by his computer, preparing to attempt to trace the call, if she did call anyway. All they could do now was wait and hope that Lanie's hunch proved to be fact.

Martha remained quiet through the whole thing. She knew her son's story was not true, and she knew were Beckett was heading. Martha knew that she needed to tell Richard some of the truth soon before he had a panic attack. She shot a text to Hunt's phone number and waited.

He told her what she needed to know, and she sent another text to a different number. Once it was sent, she locked her phone and put it in her pocket.

At 11:47, Castle heard his phone buzz. He scrambled to get it and check the caller ID. It was her. He looked up at Ryan, and he nodded that he was ready to trace it. He took a deep breath before he answered the call.

"Castle," he said as his usual greeting. "Hey Rick," came her response. "Kate, where are you?" he asked.

He noticed that she paused, choosing her words carefully. "That's not important," she replied. "The hell it isn't! How am I supposed to know if you're okay? How am I supposed to protect you if I don't know if you're going into a trap?" he yelled, surprising both the people around him and her.

"_Protect me? _I'm the one who's supposed to be protecting you! I'm the cop here, Castle, not you. I can take care of myself!" came her yelled response. "Then why aren't you here doing your job?" he asked.

She paused for a while, hesitating. "I have to do this, Rick. I can't let Alexis or you die for me because of this," she replied in her normal voice. "No, Kate. You don't have to do this alone," he pleaded.

"Who says I'm going alone?" she asked. He paused. "Who are you with?" he asked, his voice merely a whisper. "Someone who cares about you and your family," she simply replied.

"Kate," he whispered. Her heart broke, and she slightly regretted her choice to just leave him in that hotel room. His whisper of her name was a final plea for her to come back, and she knew she couldn't just yet.

"The boys are trying to trace this, aren't they?" she asked a beat later. His answer was his silence. He heard her sigh before she said, "You called in the cavalry, didn't you? Lanie, Jenny, my dad, and your mother are listening to our conversation too?" Again, he said nothing.

"You won't be able to get a trace, Rick. We're not that careless," she replied. She swallowed down her tears, not wanting to cry when she's on the phone with him. Hunt motioned for her to wrap it up soon since their flight was being called.

"Listen, I need you to stay in New York and work the case with the boys. I don't want you pulling a Taken," she stated. "Kate-" "Rick, you have to trust me. When I get back, we can continue where we left off. I promise," she said, hoping that he understood her subtext.

"Kate?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. Don't do anything stupid," he said, throwing all the love he felt into his voice.

He heard her laugh. God, he loved her laugh. "I should be the one telling you that. I can promise to try," she replied. He heard a muffled voice before he heard her say, "I have to go. Stay in New York, no matter what."

"Wait! Kate-" but she had already hung up. He set the phone down on the table with the kicked puppy look on his face.

He turned to the others and saw their shocked faces. No one said a word as they continued to stare at him. "Ryan, were you able to trace it?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Ryan reluctantly turned to his computer now remembering that he was supposed to be doing something. He waited as the computer finished loading, silently praying to have better luck. The search came up empty. He looked up at Castle and shook his head.

Castle went over to the recliner and sat down. "Where the hell are you going, Katie?" he whispered under his breath.


	33. Hell Itself

**READ THIS FIRST!**

**Okay, things you will need for this chapter: Tissues, lots of tissues (if you're the sentimental type) and Things to throw (trust me; you will be mad at the end of this chapter).**

**This chapter was the idea of TheDevilChild. She helped with the details of this chapter. I think I will go hide now.**

**(From TheDevilChild) Hey there guys! I'm TheDevilChild. And before you read this chapter, I have to say, I REGRET ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. This was very fun to help my buddy on. I gave her the ideas for the tor- oops! Spoilers! Sorry. Anyways, feel free to hate me, I don't really give a flying Grayson. Now, have fun reading!**

Chapter 32

The hall was dark and quiet. The wreckage of the incident had been cleared. Everyone had returned to their posts, except a figure that currently made their way down the hall.

The figure opened the all too familiar door. They climbed down the stairs with grace, not missing a single step. They slowly made their way to the center of the room where a young woman, not much older than they were, sat duct taped to a chair.

Alexis saw Cedric Marks step aside. She hesitantly looked up and saw his twisted smile. "There's someone I'd like you to meet, Alexis. Say hello to Jade Castillo," he said.

Alexis saw a young woman, maybe a few years younger than she was, step towards her. She had electric blue eyes and freakishly pale skin. She wore a black sweatshirt with a batman symbol on it that her dad would love, black jeans, and matching Converse. Her red hair fell in fabulous curls to her waist, and she had a black rose tucked behind her right ear.

"Jade here is gonna teach you a lesson," Cedric Marks stated. Alexis felt a pang of fear creep in, but her face remained emotionless. The girl looked like she couldn't do much damage, but Alexis wasn't gonna underestimate her. If Cedric Marks brought her in here, she must know how to cause pain.

Jade shed her sweatshirt and tossed it aside. She didn't want blood to stain it. She wore a red t-shirt with the words "The Court of Owls" on it in black. She pulled out the knife strapped to her belt and walked closer to Alexis.

She saw a flash of fear in Alexis' eyes. "A beauty isn't she. Her name's Delia. I polish her ever day until it shines like a mirror. It's sharp enough to cut through your ribs without letting you have a chance to scream," Jade explained.

When Alexis felt the blade touch her arm, it took everything she had not to scream. She looked straight ahead as she felt the blade make a long gash along her forearm. Get her talking, she thought.

"How old are you?" Alexis managed to say. "14, what's it matter to you?" Jade replied before turning to the other arm.

"Well, it seems you're a bit young to be wrapped up in this business. You seem tall for your age. How tall are you, five nine, five ten?" Alexis continued. "Five eleven," was the reply.

Johanna felt a pang of hurt as she was forced to watch her get tortured. Even though she'd only known the girl for a few hours, Alexis was like a granddaughter to her, and Johanna had a feeling that it would be legally true in the near future based on the stories Alexis has told her about Katie and Richard Castle.

She saw Cedric Marks walk right next to her. If she wasn't chained to a wall, she'd kicked his sorry ass to next Tuesday. She'd also say a few choice words if her mouth wasn't covered in duct tape.

"I bet you're wondering what Miss Castillo will do to poor Alexis. Honestly, I don't know. Jade here has her own system, and she changes her methods frequently. All I care about is that she gets the job down," Cedric explained.

Alexis hissed as she felt the blood flow freely down her arm. The blood was flowing fast, and she had to fight to keep her vision. "Tell me about yourself, Jade," she said.

She saw the younger ginger flash a glare in her direction. This is what Alexis gets for being the daughter of Richard Castle. She has to know the story. "I'm gonna die anyway, so why not grant me this?"

Jade finished with Alexis' left leg and began on her right. "I was born into this. I'm a bastard hence the last name. My mother had an affair with another man while she was dating my step-dad."

Jade paused as she moved to cut a large gash on Alexis' cheek. "He didn't really care, of course. He was sleeping with other women too. They only married to make their parents happy, but they had free reign on everything else."

Alexis tasted blood when she felt Jade switch sides. "One day, step-dad feared that my mom couldn't keep her mouth shut and would tell everyone what his true colors were. I was about four at the time. He handed me this very same blade and instructed me to kill my mother. Being the obedient child I was, I obeyed and stabbed my mom to death."

Alexis felt the blade leave her cheek. She hesitantly opened her eyes and saw that Jade was walking away. She felt instant relief, but she had a feeling that Jade wasn't done with her yet.

She saw her bring back a box. Alexis saw the label, and it was salt. Alexis was just wondering what Jade would do with salt when she saw Jade dump some on her arm and started to rub it in.

Alexis cried out in pain. The salt stung in unimaginable pain, and was that lemon juice? "What a great mixture lemon juice and salt make. The way it burn when it touches your eyes or small paper cuts, but the pain is excruciating when it touches large gashes," she said, rubbing it into the rest of Alexis' cuts.

Alexis saw black spots in her vision, and she forced herself to remain conscious. She felt Jade finally stop as soon as she was ready to black out. She sensed Jade was going away again, and she still knew that this wasn't over.

She saw a different blade in Jade's hands. "This one's not as much fun as Delia, but it still does the job done. Its name is Elias," Jade explained before she dug it into Alexis' shoulder.

Johanna gave a muffled cry in horror. She remembered flashbacks of the night when she saw Delia Castillo get murdered. That's where she saw this girl before.

After madly plunging the blade into non vital areas, she instructed Cedric Marks to remove Alexis from her bonds. Cedric was about to protest when Jade insisted that Alexis was too weak to make an attempt to escape. Hesitantly, Cedric ripped the duct tape from Alexis, and Alexis crashed to the floor.

Jade reached for the crowbar resting against a nearby table. She prepared her aim before she struck Alexis with it.

Alexis cried out in pain as she felt the crowbar connect with her back. That shit hurt like a bitch, and she was already weak from blood loss.

Her vision was blurred, and she knew she couldn't remain conscious much longer. "Who's your step-father?" she croaked out.

"Senator William H. Bracken," Jade whispered sweetly. Alexis felt a final blow hit her head, and she finally closed her eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.


	34. Following Orders and Taking Charge

**A/N: Hi, I'm gonna crawl out of my hole for a few minutes and give you this chapter. Sorry for not updating sooner. I've got a lot on my plate with school work. Anyway, enjoy, review, and suggest. **

Chapter 33

Rick sat on the window sill and stared out the window at nothing in particular. He was still trying to comprehend the situation. He spotted a man buy a couple of coffees before he made his way towards a woman. He handed her a coffee and she thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. He must've said something funny since the woman was laughing, and they walked along the sidewalk, hand in hand, with not a care for the world.

He felt a pang of longing. He hadn't told anyone about what really happened last night because he wasn't sure if she was ready for them to know yet. He still wished that she was here so that he can finally show her exactly how much he loved her.

"Castle," he heard someone whisper. He didn't bother to turn his head. "What should we do now?"

He remained silent for a few seconds before he said, "We do exactly what she says. We continue working on the case."

"Okay, let's head back to the precinct then," they said. Reluctantly, Castle removed himself from the window sill. He blinked a few times to get the glare out of his eyes. He reached for his coat and slung it over his arm.

"We should update the murder board and work on the leads we have. Meanwhile, we have to keep an eye out for her. Knowing her, she's gonna do something stupid, and I want to know where she is so that we can help her," he said with a determined tone in his voice.

"Yes sir," the boys said, hoping to bring back the old Castle. It didn't work. "We're going to have to come up with a brilliant story for the captain explaining why her best detective isn't with us," he said.

"Isn't that your department, bro?" Esposito asked. "Let's just go, Esposito," Castle said, displaying nothing but seriousness. Ryan and Esposito exchanged worried glances before they exchanged goodbyes and left the apartment.

(….)

Castle filled in the murder board with the new information while the boys filled in the captain. He made a cliff notes version of it on the legal pad in Beckett's leather folder, adding the information of her mother's murder. He skimmed over them, refreshing his mind.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw the boys walk up to him. "You owe us big time, bro," Esposito said. "You can have the Ferrari for a week. Split the time as you see fit," Castle said, still looking at his hastily scrawled notes.

"Detectives, Grace Rodin has arrived," L.T. declared. "Alright, take her into the break room. Thanks L.T.," Ryan replied.

"Ryan, focus on surveillance. My guess is that you probably won't find anything useful, but try anyway. Also, play the phone call again but without voices. See if you can find out where she was headed through background noise. That'll narrow down Alexis' location.

"Esposito, you work her mother's case. Find out what you can about Cedric Marks. Then pull up his financials on every alias he has. Trace the accounts on large transfers. These guys can't be that good. Also, work on finding people that Alexis, Kate, and Johanna made contact with. They may be these guys next target. I'll talk to Grace Rodin, and I'll interview Rebecca Rose alone," Castle commanded.

(…)

"Mrs. Rodin, my name is Richard Castle. I am a consultant for the NYPD. I need to ask you some questions about your son, Kyle," he said.

"Richard Castle the author?" she asked. He nodded, and she squealed in delight. "I am a huge fan of your books! You're even more handsome in person! Would you mind signing this book for me?" she asked, handing him a book.

"Not at all," he replied, pulling a Sharpie marker out of his pocket. He saw the title: Heat Rises. His face fell as his thoughts filled with Kate again. He scribbled something on the title page before he signed it and handed it back to her, forcing as smile.

"A handsome boy like you must have a special girl in his life," she stated, placing the book back into her oversized purse. He couldn't help but smile as he thought of the night before. "It's complicated," he settled on as his response.

He cleared his throat and pushed Kate to the back of his head. "Anyway, when was the last time you spoke with Kyle?" he asked. "Maybe a few weeks ago. He started talking about this girl he liked and how much he loved his job," she replied.

"Did he seem upset or distracted?" he asked. "No, he seemed fine," she replied. "Did he have any money problems?" he asked. "Not that I'm aware of. Why are you asking? Is he okay?" she asked, Castle sensing her anxiety level raise.

"I'm sorry to say, but Kyle was found murdered," he replied. He heard the slight hitch in her breath and saw tears in her eyes. "How did he die?" she asked.

"He was shot in the head. He appeared to have been tortured since almost every bone in his body was broken. His body was found floating in the Hudson River," he explained.

He watched as she let a few tears trail down her face. "Who would do such a thing to my baby?" she asked, her voice breaking at the end. "That's what we're trying to find out," he said, handing her a tissue.

She accepted it and gave him a look of gratitude. "What was my son involved in that got him killed?" she asked.

"He-uh-was involved in kidnapping a girl," he replied. "Which girl?" she asked. Castle looked into her eyes before saying, "Alexis Castle, my daughter."

"I am so sorry, Mr. Castle. Is your daughter alright?" she asked, surprise evident in her eyes. "I don't know," he replied, looking down at his hands dejectedly.

"Look, Mr. Castle, I know that my son has made many mistakes. I am truly sorry for his part in your daughter's kidnapping, but can you promise me one thing?" she asked. He waited a few beats, urging her to continue. "Can you find the son of a bitch who did this to him?" she pleaded.

"Ma'am, the man who killed your son shot the woman I love. He hired a man to murder her mother. He murdered our former captain as well as many other people just to cover up his own ass. He might've hurt my baby girl too. I will promise you that I will do everything in my power to find this sorry excuse of a man and put him in the ground," he replied in a determined tone.

(….)

He asked L.T. to escort Mrs. Rodin to the morgue so that she can see her son. Ryan and Esposito walked up to him just as the elevator door closed. "How'd it go with the mother?" Ryan asked.

"It's a dead-end. She had no idea that her son had financial troubles if any. Did you guys have better luck?" he asked.

"Surveillance was a dead end. The cameras with a clear shot of the crime scene were disabled at 5:30 and were enabled at six yesterday morning," Ryan replied. "That fits with our time of death window," Esposito stated. "Exactly, so we have no idea who could've killed Jenna. I've got Karpowski and Velasquez interview witnesses, but your hunch did prove helpful," Ryan said.

"Please tell me you were able to find out where she was," Castle stated. "Yup, she was at LaGuardia," Ryan replied, a smirk on his face. "Were you able to track the flights?" Castle asked. "Running that down now, but I should know in about an hour or so," Ryan replied.

"Great, Esposito, did you find anything?" Castle asked. "Using the alias Damian Royce, he's received a ten thousand dollar payment around the time Beckett was shot. He's been receiving a couple grand a week starting with last month," Esposito replied. "Did you get an account number?" Castle asked. "Not exactly. This guy is good at covering up his tracks. It's untraceable," he said.

"Great, so we're back to square one. Okay, help Ryan with finding the flight," Castle said. "You got it," he replied before they left.

Castle jotted down the new information onto the legal pad, and he wrote the information about the cameras into the timeline. He sat down in Beckett's chair and stared at the phone for a few seconds. He reluctantly dialed Rebecca Rose's cell phone number.

He was just about to hit the call button when he heard, "Package for a Richard Castle." He set the phone down and got up. "That's me," he said. The delivery boy handed him a clipboard, and Castle signed his name. He handed the clipboard back to the boy, and he received a thick yellow package in return. "Have a nice day, sir," the boy said before leaving.

Castle sat down in Beckett's chair again and looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Satisfied that everyone was busy working, he opened the package and removed its contents.


	35. Traveling to the Pit of Hell Itself

**A/N: Happy Easter, everyone! I know it's kind of late for that, and I'm sorry for not updating for a while. I'm building a utopia with my friends, Madison and Allison, and it's taking longer than I expected. Because of this, I probably won't update sooner since the whole thing is due April 8****th****, and I have major tests Tuesday and Wednesday. Anyway, I wrote this quickly, so it's probably not my best. I don't know how long it takes to get to Rome, so that's the only detail I probably didn't get right… Enjoy and please review. I might squeeze in the next chapter which will go back to Alexis' perspective sooner if you do.**

Chapter 34

_"Dad!" a younger Alexis screamed as she ran into her father's arms. Richard Castle let go of his suitcases and held his arms open. Alexis came barreling into his arms, and he enclosed her in a tight embrace. _

_ "Hey, kiddo, how have you been?" he asked. He stood up and cradled her to him. Alexis wrapped her arms around her father's waist before saying, "Good. Grams threw a party while you were away."_

_ "Hey! That was supposed to be our secret!" Martha Rodgers exclaimed. "How bad was it, Alexis?" Rick asked, staring at his mother disapprovingly. "There are lime shards in the wall," Alexis reported._

_ "WHAT?!" he exclaimed, examining the walls. Sure enough, bits of lime were present. "And your liquor cabinet is empty," Alexis added. _

_ Rick turned to his mother with eyes wide. "YOU DRANK ALL OF MY ALCOHOL?" he yelled._

_ "Well, I didn't personally. The guests drank the rest," Martha stated, taking a sip of her drink. "Exactly how many people did you invite?" Rick asked, trying not to throw something._

_ "Oh maybe 52, give or take," Martha replied, sensing her son's distress. "Mother, what is wrong with you?" he asked. "Nothing it wrong with me, darling. I just happened to have a lot of friends and a home to host them," she replied._

_ "Look, just because you live here now does not give you permission to invite people over when I'm not here," he stated, reaching for a can of whipped cream in the fridge. _

_ "How was your trip, Dad?" Alexis asked, quickly changing the subject. "Same as always, I guess. My last signing took place just as I got off the plane, so I'm free until my next deadline. Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you," he said._

_ He reached for one of his suitcases and took out a box. It was neatly wrapped in purple and white stripped wrapping paper and had a bow in the middle. "Happy Birthday, kiddo," he said, handing her the package._

_ She thanked him and tore off the wrapping. She hesitantly pulled off the lid and moved aside the tissue paper. She gasped when she saw what was inside._

_ It was a picture frame with a signed photo of the Blue Pill band in it. She stumbled towards her dad and enclosed him in a hug. "Thank you so much, Dad! I love you!" she said._

_ "You're welcome, kiddo. Taylor, Kelsey, and Paige should be here soon, right?" he asked, heading into the kitchen. "Yes, they'll be here in a few minutes. Thank you again, Dad," she replied. She gave him another hug before she raced upstairs to hang up the picture frame and change for the party._

The memory started to fade. Alexis was regaining conscious. No, she can't wake up yet! It hurt too much! Alexis finally drifted back into consciousness and cracked open her eyes.

(….)

Kate sat down on the right seat once they boarded the sleek black private jet. Hunt sat to her left. "Hi, I'm Captain Robb Tyler. This is my co-pilot, Caleb Watson. Welcome aboard! We'll be taking off soon, so please put on your seat belts. If you would like something to eat or drink, ask the stewards, Sam and Christy. We should be arriving in Rome sometime tomorrow," was what they heard over the intercom.

Kate stared out the window a few hours later. She was in deep thought, thinking about this case and Castle. What Kate didn't understand was why her mother had been killed? She suspected that it was because her mother started investigating into the murder of Bob Armen, but it felt like there was more to it than that. Why did they take Alexis in order to get to them? They had the money and resources to kidnap them, hell they could kill them anytime they want, yet they use Alexis as leverage and murder someone that was close to Alexis and Kate's family. This leads Kate to believe that Castle and his family may be more involved in this case than she knew.

Speaking of Castle, she felt even guiltier about doing a walk of shame this morning. She finally got her head out of her ass and saw what was right in front of her, and she leaves before he wakes up. The phone call made her even guiltier, hearing the hurt in his voice. Her brain reassured her that she did the right thing, but deep down, she knew it was wrong. She hoped that she could find Alexis, bring her home safely, and finally start her relationship with her immature, egotistical, self-centered jackass writer man partner and best friend.

She turned and saw that Hunt was looking at her. He looked like he was studying her in an analytical way and something else… She realized that he was also looking for the things that attracted Rick to her. She tried to hide the blush that colored her cheeks, but she knew she was unsuccessful.

"What's on your mind, Kate?" Hunt asked the younger brunette. "Oh it's nothing," she replied, turning to face the window again. "No, I know it's something. You probably have a lot of questions for me. I would be happy to answer some of them," he stated, leaning back in his chair.

Kate hesitated, wondering if it was such a good idea since Castle was not here to hear them for himself. She shrugged it off before she asked, "How are you involved in this case?"

Hunt gave the girl credit for asking great questions. He decided that he approved of her better than Richard's previous flings or ex-wives. "That is a little complicated to explain. I can't answer that just yet," he replied.

Kate let him off the hook for now. She'd practiced this quality for four years with Castle, and she knew when to let things go. He'd tell her eventually. "What's your real name?" she asked.

"Now why would I tell you that?" he said as a rhetorical joke. "Because you owe me at least that," she replied. "And what exactly is this favor you did for me?" he asked. "I didn't tell Rick that I was traveling with his father," she replied.

Damn this kid was good. No wonder his son was attracted to her. "My legal name is Steven Ross. I was born in San Francisco, California. My father was FBI, so I was raised mostly by my mother. I followed in his footsteps and attracted the attention of the CIA," he said.

"How did you find Alexis?" she asked. "I'm CIA, kid. I can't do much of anything on American soil, but in foreign countries, I've got free reign. Plus, I was monitoring the family, and I witnessed my granddaughter being kidnapped. I followed them until the finally stopped in Rome. I knew I couldn't get her out just yet, so I planted a cell phone in your mother's room. That's the phone she called you from," he explained, waiting to see her reaction.

Kate listened intently as he explained, but when she heard him mention her mother, she froze. Was it true? Had her mother been alive all these years? If it was true, then who did they bury?

"Yes, your mother is alive. One night, she was approached by a mysterious figure, Dick Coonan as a matter of fact, and was told to back off from her investigation of Bob Armen's murder or bad things would happen. She chose to ignore the threat, and on January 9, 1999, they kidnapped her as she was about to head to the restaurant to meet you and your father for dinner. They murdered your mother's twin, Savannah, instead, leaving the rest of the world to believe that your mother was dead. Since your aunt had isolated herself from the family, no one noticed that she was missing. They've been trying to get information out of your mother, trying to figure out what she knows. Then, they heard through the grape vine that you were poking around her case. They watched you closely, making sure you never got too far, but that all changed when my son started shadowing you. They saw him poking around the case as well, and when he found the connection between murders that happened around the same time as your mother's murder, they sent Dick Coonan to try to keep you two from investigating further. That failed, of course, so they sent Lockwood and then Cedric Marks when that failed. They almost succeeded in killing you, but you survived. They had no other choice but to kidnap Alexis to find out exactly what you know," he explained.

"Are you saying that there are corrupt cops in our precinct?" she asked. "Yes, and Kyle Rodin was just one of them. I'd advice your team to keep things between themselves and people they trust," he recommended. "Who are the dirty cops?" she asked, and Steven saw the rage in her eyes. "I have to look into it further, but I will let you know once I am 100% certain," he replied.

Their plane landed hours later. According to the captain, it was six am, but according to her watch, it would be midnight in New York. Ross handed her a suitcase, thanked the captain, and led her to a waiting town car.

The hotel they were staying at was called Palazzo Manfredi. It was near the Coliseum, so Kate stared at it in awe as they drove by it. They checked into their rooms, both right next to the other separated by a common room. This reminded Kate of the hotel room she and Castle had stayed in when they went to L.A. Pushing the thought aside; she dropped her suitcase onto her bed, placed the contents in the drawers of a dresser, and walked to the common room where they will plan a rescue mission.

"Son of a bitch!" Ross exclaimed. He had unpacked his suitcase and stuffed his clothes in a few drawers. He sat on a couch in the common room and waited for Kate to finish unpacking, and he brought the laptop he used for security with him.

"What's the matter?" Kate asked, emerging from her room. "Those sons of bitches hurt Alexis!" he exclaimed, showing Kate the footage. Rage and a lust for revenge filled her thoughts as she saw her partner's daughter lying on the floor, a bloody mess, and looking like hell.

"What's our next move?" Kate asked. "As much as we want to, we can't attack now. It's too risky with the watch dogs with guns they have guarding the place. We attack at night were we are more concealed in the shadows," he explained.

"What do we do in the meantime?" she asked. "You go get some rest. I'll look after things here and check on how Richard is doing. You need to get as much strength as you can get," he commanded.

With that said, Kate nodded and headed back to her room. She eventually did go to sleep but not before she made a quick phone call. Ross proceeded to look through the security footage, trying to see signs of another person in the room. Deciding to check later, he switched over to the one tracking Richard. That's when he noticed the package his son had received….


	36. Another Piece in the Game

**A/N: This weekend has been officially declared "Writing Weekend". I have to do finishing touches to my project which is basically all writing. I might post the journal entry here since it will be basically fan fiction. Thoughts? Also, I have to write an essay by Monday or else I'm screwed. I thought I'd squeeze in this chapter today. I might post another one on Monday, but I won't make any promises. Enjoy, and please review and suggest. I have a few ideas on how I want this story to end, but I can always weave your ideas into the plot lines! **

Chapter 35

It was a breezy evening in New York as the sun began to set. People were still at Central Park, waiting for another hour to enjoy the last rays of sun before they retired to their homes for the night. A young woman made her way to said park, glancing around as if looking for someone.

She wore a brown trench-coat jacket, a white collared button-down shirt, a pair of black slacks, and brown knee-length boots. She had short but well cut medium brown hair. Her eyes were a shade of forest green, and she wore black glasses. She must've found who or what she was looking for because she started heading towards something with a relieved look on her face.

A woman sat on a bench, casually reading a book. She had perfect blonde curls that ended at mid-back, and her stunning blue eyes moved side to side as she read the words on the current page. She wore a deep purple trench coat along with black slacks and a pink scarf with a white sweater. A well-worn brown messenger bag sat beside her. She sensed a presence behind her, so she carefully marked her place in the book before she closed it and sat it down beside her before she looked behind her.

"Holly Santiago!" "Ashley Cavasos!" The two old friends embraced and exchanged the standard greetings. Ashley shouldered her messenger bag and packed her book before the both embarked down the walking path.

"How long has it been?" Holly said. "Too long in my opinion. How are your dad and Bobby?" Ashley asked. "Well, you know how ol' Drake is, doesn't give a second thought about anything or anyone. Bobby's in Europe right now on business," Holly replied. "How are you doing at the Bradford and Beckett Law Firm?" Ashley asked. "It's great, but I think DDA Beckett is hiding something. Every time we talk, he has this look that says that he knows something about me, something terrible, but he can't tell me," Holly replied.

"Anyway, what brings you to the Big Apple?" Holly asked, quickly changing the subject. "I just needed a change of scenery. Fresh lobster gets old fast," Ashley replied. At this, Holly laughed.

Holly shivered and asked, "Do you need a place to crash?" "I was thinking of just going to a hotel," Ashley started but was cut off. "Nonsense! You can stay in my guest bedroom. Let's go grab some take out and do a marathon of _Person of Interest_," she said.

Holly led Ashley to her white Hybrid. Ashley was just about to get into the shotgun seat when she noticed someone call her name. She looked up and immediately recognized an old friend. She walked towards them and started to chat.

Shaking her head, Holly decided to give Ashley a bit of privacy. She turned around and stared at the bulletin board. There were a few flyers about a missing pit bull by the name of Fluffy and something about a missing iPhone luck with that one, kid, she thought.

There was one flyer that caught her attention. It was of a missing person, one named Alexis Castle. She was the daughter of Richard Castle, the author. Apparently, she'd been kidnapped a few days ago, and the FBI and NYPD are looking for tips on her whereabouts. There was even the numbers of Richard Castle and his muse, Detective Kate Beckett themselves.

Wait, did she say Beckett? DDA Beckett often spoke of his daughter, Katie. Could she be his daughter?

She recalled the most recent terrible experience. She wasn't supposed to be there. She was just passing by the cemetery when she saw him. She saw him pull out the sniper rifle. She saw him crouch low to get a better angle. She wanted to yell at him to stop, but her voice had abandoned her. She heard the gun shot and saw someone go down. She saw the man accept a duffel bag from Senator William H. Bracken before he disappeared. The next day, she found out that Detective Kate Beckett had been shot, yet she still did nothing.

This decision will certainly come back to haunt her now. Just as she reached for her phone, she felt someone grab her forcefully, shoving her into a nearby Mercedes, before she blacked out.

**A/N: I know it's short and some stuff may not be true, but don't ruin my story with your logic!**


	37. Walls and Masks Of A Different Kind

**A/N: A free weekend and fresh ideas? It's a miracle! Anyway, here's another chapter. I might have a few more up sooner, but it all depends on how the story flows. I thought I'd try something different. This chapter is focused on Jade Castillo (please don't kill me) and a little insight into her character's backstory. For this reason, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to TheDevilChild, the muse for the Jade character. I promise that you will find out what the package is in the next chapter (if you haven't already). Please review and suggest.**

Chapter 36

Jade carefully lifted Alexis and set her on the bed. She placed the blankets over her and tucked her in. Satisfied that Alexis was comfortable, she turned around and searched for her weapons.

She slid her knives into their holsters. She gently placed the box of salt and bottle of lemon juice into a plastic bag. The crowbar was placed in its makeshift holder. Jade was just about to leave when she noticed Cedric Marks.

Cedric was shocked. So this is why Boss keeps his bastard daughter around. "It's not like you haven't seen torture before if you work for my dad. I bet you even torture people yourself for him," she said. "Yes of course, but I am just amazed. Your skill is very experienced for someone of your age," he replied. Jade just shrugged before she made her way to the door. "Dad said that he would like a word with you over dinner, so I guess I will be seeing you then. Goodbye, Mrs. Beckett," she said before she opened the door and exited the room.

Jade navigated her way to the back entrance. When she stepped outside, she saw Michael and James passed out on the ground and the rest of the guys exchanging money after losing or gaining the bet. They looked up and saw her standing there.

"Hello boys. Don't mind me; I was just leaving. You might want to go inside now. Cedric is waiting for you," she said. As soon as she finished speaking, they dragged their unconscious comrades and headed inside the building. The town car that was sent to pick her up arrived, and she sat down in the passenger side, content on watching the landscape pass by.

After a short drive and a quick flight in the private jet, Jade was back in New York. She quickly got out of the plane and hoisted her gear back onto her back before she made her way towards the mansion her dad calls a house. Time to enter into her little corner of hell.

She went through the back entrance trying to avoid the inevitable talk with her father just a little longer. She then carefully pried open the air duct and climbed inside. She remembered to place the vent back into place so that her father would never find out that this was how she moved around the house remaining unseen.

Her years of practice landed her in her room only five minutes later. She closed the vent and tossed her backpack onto the floor. Brushing a bit of dust off of her shoulder, she plopped onto her bed, letting out an exasperated sigh.

The room itself looked like a typical teenager room. The walls were densely covered with posters of DC Comics characters, an assortment of bands, a few TV shows, and even a few movies. The posters made it impossible to tell what the color of the wall was.

Her bed was on a bunk bed frame, but she slept on the top part and a desk took up the bottom section. She had a simple mahogany desk with four drawers. The desk had frost-like custom carvings on it. The drawers held files filled with every detail of all the people she was assigned to find. Those files contained every aspect of their lives: bank accounts, places they visit on a daily basis and the times they visit that place, addresses, social security numbers, people they know, basically everything a criminal would want to know about a person.

A smart board hung on the wall behind the desk. She did most of her planning on there, but she always liked to keep a hard copy just in case technology fails her. This explains the white board behind her.

The smart board had the pictures of a lot of people on it. All the people her father had eliminated had a deceased stamp on their picture. When she clicked on it, it showed her the cliff notes version of their life. Richard Castle, Kate Beckett, Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito, Lanie Parish, Jim Beckett, Johanna Beckett, Victoria Gates, Alexis Castle, Martha Rodgers, Rebecca Rose (aka Madison Beckett), and Ross and Carol Rose were on the smart board.

Her bed was a Batman spread, sheet, and pillow case set. It was neatly made, unlike most teenagers' beds. A small doll was propped up against a pillow. It had a green dress, blonde hair, and blue eyes, and it was holding a yellow rose. Her mother had given it to her for her first birthday, saying that it had been passed down through many generations before her. A stuffed tigress rested next to it.

A Toshiba laptop rested in a hidden compartment in the wall beside her bed. It automatically charged itself if it rested there. In another hidden compartment, she kept a .45 hidden along with extra bullets as a precaution.

Her Kindle Fire HD and iPhone rested on top of a small black table beside the white board. Her iPhone case was a plain black one. Her Kindle Fire had a red case.

She had many bookshelves in her room. They were built with diamond compartments, so about five books rested in each one sideways. She had just about every adventure, horror, tragedy, angst, and mystery thriller there was. She even had all the Richard Castle books. Yes, she was a mega fan of his books. Because of this, she found it slightly more difficult to hurt him and his daughter this way, but a job was a job.

A mini fridge stood in a corner. It was stocked with all her heart's desires, and it had a cabinet attached to it where she kept her dry foods. It also held her secret stash of alcohol. She rarely went to eat at the dining table; if she had to, it was strictly for business purposes.

Her closet consisted of mostly black and red with the exception of blue jeans, jackets, and some band/comic book/TV show/movie t-shirts. They were all neatly arranged by season and color. There was a section she rarely touched, and that consisted of dresses and heels. She only touched that part if there was an event she had to attend with her father or a business opportunity and that's only with threats of taking away her cool stuff if she didn't.

She had a cat named Shadow. It was pure black and had black eyes. She'd found it one day after doing a job, and she immediately grew attached to it.

Her favorite part of the room was her false wall. All she had to do was whisper the password she'd set, and it would rotate reveling the contents behind it. This consisted of all of her weapons, an assortment of knives, guns, and bombs.

She took a few minutes to simply relax and push aside the memories of what she had just done. She couldn't stay like this for long; she knew he would be coming to look for her soon. She reluctantly got up and reached for her backpack.

She turned on one of the torch-like lamps for her to see what she was doing. She liked being in the dark, so she had these torches as her source of light. She removed the daggers and crowbars from their holsters and laid them gently on the white cloth that she'd placed over the carpet. She grabbed a few rags and some polish from a drawer in her desk before she grabbed Delia and began to clean it.

Once the weapons were clean and polished, she carefully carried them to the wall. She whispered the password and waited for the wall to reveal her weapons. She gently placed each one in their respective holders and placed the salt and lemon juice in the bottom drawer.

The wall just returned back to normal when she heard a knock on her door. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair before giving them permission to come in.

Her father entered the room. He was wearing one of his many suits as usual. "Jade, you have a visitor. Dinner will be ready in about an hour," he replied, before stepping aside and leaving.

Jade removed the emotionless mask when she saw who her visitor was. She attacked hugged them and exclaimed, "Ruby!"

Ruby See was a young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes who could easily pass as a second grader, but don't let her looks fool you. She may be thirteen, but she graduated high school at age 12 and was too smart for college. Yes, she was a kid genius. She was a billionaire scientist who owns a lab and corporate building in New York City. She has a basement lab that she claims will protect her in case a tornado passes by since she practically lives there. She was Jade's best friend and is the one who always bails her out of jail and drives her home from bars.

Once they'd exchanges greetings, the girls sat in chairs facing each other. Jade offered Ruby a drink, and she accepted saying that she'd just like some water. "How are you holding up?" Ruby asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"I'm fine," Jade replied. It was a lie. She was far from fine. If it wasn't for the carefully constructed mask and walls she had, she would've been curled in a ball and crying all day.

"That's a lie, Jade. I know you better than anyone. You may think you can detach yourself from your emotions, but your eyes give you away. If it wasn't for your strong will to keep your emotions in check, you'd be sobbing right now," Ruby said, putting sympathy in her eyes.

Jade closed her eyes and slowly relived that day in her head. The day her father was murdered, merely twelve years ago.

Bracken had caught onto the affair. He wouldn't normally care, but Jade's father was Bracken's campaign manager. He had slapped her mother really hard, and her father jumped in to protect her. Punches were thrown, and her father had instructed her mother and herself to run for it and never look back. Jade had foolishly run back to get the tigress she'd forgotten when she witnessed Bracken shoot her father. She quickly snatched the tigress, the only thing she had left of her father, and ran as fast as her pudgy toddler legs could carry her.

She had to obey Bracken's every word or else he'd hit her. He'd hit her hard enough for an ugly bruise to appear and remain for days. When he used the belt, it sometimes left painful cuts. In order to survive, Jade had to obey his orders. By the age of four, she was the perfect soldier. She had built walls to shut out anything that could hurt her.

Jade opened her eyes again and felt a bit of tears trek down her cheeks. Ruby handed her a tissue, not saying anything but simply understand like the great friend she was. Jade willed the tears to subside, and the emotionless mask was placed back onto her face.

"Now, don't you have an important dinner meeting tonight?" Ruby asked, trying to lighten up the mood. "Yes, unfortunately. Dad's gonna make me wear a dress, isn't he?" Jade asked. At Ruby's nod, she groaned.

"It's not that bad, Jade. I'll help you pick out something that will still maintain your badass look," Ruby said, immediately heading towards the closet. Jade managed a chuckle. This was one of the reasons why she was friends with this girl.

Soon, Jade was dressed in a simple blue sleeveless dress that ended at her knees which brought out her eyes. She wore her best pair of combat boots, and her ginger hair was straightened and lay loose. To complete the look, she wore a black leather jacket.

"Thanks Ruby, you're the best," Jade said. "That's what I'm here for. I'll just be chilling back and watching Harry Potter while you're at dinner," Ruby said. Yes, even billionaires like her can be Potterheads.

"Alright, let's do this," Jade said before she exited the room. Just outside the room, she unfurled the fingers of her right hand. A small locket that contained a picture of her real father, her mother, and herself as a baby was in her hands. This had belonged to her mother, but she had kept it hidden. As far as Bracken knew, this was the only piece of jewelry Jade would ever wear.

She put it on and toyed with it with her thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes and remembered a happier time, her first birthday. Her parents were alive, and they were all happy. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I know what I'm doing is wrong, but I have to do what he says. If I don't, he might start hitting me again or worse. I love you both," she whispered even though she wasn't sure if anyone could hear her.

She reopened her eyes. She had a moment of weakness, and now was the time to push it away. She let go of the locket, regained her mask, and headed to the dining room. It's time to talk business.


	38. Truths Always See the Light of Day

**A/N: Okay, now for the chapter you've all been waiting for. Time to find out what was in the package, but you have probably already guessed what it is. Can anyone agree that this week has been really crappy or is it just me? Anyway, please review since they make me smile and I haven't been doing much of that these days.**

Chapter 37

A letter fell out of the package first. Rick's name was neatly printed on the front of the envelope. He opened it with Kate's letter opener. A neatly folded piece of yellow legal paper was inside, and he unfolded it and read:

If you are currently reading this, then I am dead.

I hope this gets to you before it's intercepted by them, by HIM. Don't even think that you can try to save me. I sent this package to you only because I knew I was next. From this point on, you are on your own. The deal is off, and that means you and Detective Beckett as well as anyone close to the both of you are in danger. This package contains everything you need to take down the Dragon. When the time is right, use this information to bring them down and send his sorry ass to prison for the rest of his life. I hope that you are aware that there are corrupt cops in your precinct. This is why I warn you to only share this information with Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito, Lanie Parish, and eventually Victoria Gates and Kate Beckett. Finish what I've started.

Good Luck,

Michael Smith

Rick quickly shoved the package into his brown leather messenger bag. He didn't want anyone else to know he had this package just yet. They were all sleeping over at Casa Ryan until the case was solved, so he'll look through the package there.

Right now, he needed to focus on this case. Paige Hensworth and Wyatt Jennings were still unreachable, so he proceeded to call Rebecca Rose. He quickly dialed the number and waited for her to pick up.

"Rebecca Rose, my name is-"

"Richard Castle? It's really you. At first I thought it was a prank, but now I believe it. I am a huge fan of your books. Would you mind it if I could have your autograph?" she asked.

Rebecca Rose basically was a Mini Beckett. Castle could see the similarities already. Rebecca had Beckett's long brown curls and her green eyes. He almost thought he was looking at Beckett, but then he remembered that she was somewhere in the world with a stranger playing hero.

Rebecca wore an aqua dress with a sweetheart neckline along with a red belt and hazel boots. She handed him a book she'd pulled out of her bag, and he pulled a pen out of his blazer. He saw the title and his face immediately fell. _Heat Rises. _He regained his professional mask and quickly signed it and handed it back to her.

Clearing his throat, he said, "I need to ask you a few questions regarding the current case." They both sat down across from each other, and Castle opened his folder. He had his pen poised and ready to jot down crucial information.

"Who is this mysterious stalker?" he asked. He saw her shift uncomfortably in her seat. "Come on, Rebecca, you know who it is. It's written all over your face. I'm trying to find the people who did this to your sister, but I can't do that unless you help me," he said.

"Bert Johnson," she whispered. "What was that?" he asked. She finally met his gaze and said, "His name is Bert Johnson. My sister was part of this quad along with Paige Hensworth, Wyatt Jennings, and Bert Johnson. They've been friends since grammar school, and they were inseparable. Bert always had this crush on Jenna, and when she chose Wyatt over him, he changed. That change was not a good one. He plotted to murder Wyatt. He overheard that Wyatt was going to be at Madison Square Garden, so he went there to kill him. He didn't realize that it was Jenna until it was too late," she explained.

"How do you know all this?" he asked gently. "Because I was there," she stated, nothing but seriousness reflecting in her green eyes. He was jotting down notes as she spoke, but he paused when she said this.

His eyes told her to keep going. "I, uh, have this boyfriend here in the United States. His name is Lance Andrews," she said, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Oh everyone knew who the Andrews were. They were one of the wealthiest families in the city.

"Sometimes I fly here to see him. We were walking and it got cold, so he went to hail a cab. I witnessed it happen, and I immediately called 911 before I climbed into the cab and went to the airport. I slipped into the house before my parents woke up," she said, her hair covering her face in an oh-so-familiar Beckett gesture.

"Why didn't you just stay with the body?" he asked. "Because I didn't want to be caught by my parents. They didn't know about Lance yet, and I didn't want them to know anytime soon. Before you say anything, I've been going over all of the what-ifs these past few days, overrun by guilt," she said, tears in her eyes.

"I understand, but that still doesn't make it right. "Can you describe Bert to me?" he asked.

"He's 25, 5'4", has blond hair, blue eyes, freckles. He's a fast food cook. His last known address was 1446 Willow Park, Forrest, Chicago."

"Now, do you know who this man is?" he asked, showing her the picture of Kyle Rodin. He saw her shift uncomfortably again. "Who is he?" he asked her.

"That's Wyatt," she said. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked again. She looked him in the eyes and said, "That man is Wyatt Jennings. His mother had moved to Nebraska, but he moved to New York to stay with Jenna."

"Why did you shift uncomfortably in your seat when you saw his picture?" he asked. "I'm not supposed to say. Jenna said that my life would be in danger if I told anyone," she said, looking down. "Rebecca, I can protect you, but you have to tell me from what," he said.

She looked up again and said, "Wyatt was the one who gave Jenna the bruises and the shiner." He wrote this down and said, "Wyatt's real name is Kyle Rodin. He was a rookie cop at the precinct. He was found floating in the Hudson River with a bullet in his head and almost every bone in his body broken."

She flinched slightly at his description. "Do you know how I can contact Paige Hensworth?" he asked. "She's visiting her parents in London. I can give you her cell phone number if you'd like," she said, pulling out her phone. He quickly wrote down the number and thanked her.

Now's your chance, Ricky; you have to tell her, he thought. "Rebecca, there's something you need to know," he said. "What is it, sir?" she asked.

"Ross and Carol Rose are not your biological parents," he said. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "Your biological parents are Jim and Johanna Beckett. Detective Beckett is your sister. Jim and Johanna could not afford to care for you and your sister, so they gave you to Ross and Carol Rose. Detective Beckett did not know about this until just a few days ago," he said.

He saw tears in her eyes, and he immediately reached for a tissue from his blazer. He gave it to her, and she nodded her thanks. "Where's Kate? I want to see her," she said. "She, uh, is not here right now," he said uncomfortably. He was just about to close the interrogation when she said, "So who's the girl?"

His eyes widened, and he said, "What," his voice and octave higher than normal. "Oh, come on, it's obvious that you're dating someone," she said with a smirk on her face. "How so?" he asked.

"Well, your handwriting gives an aura of excess happiness. Your hair is messy like you got up and didn't bother to fix it, but it's messy because someone ran their hands through it. You took time getting dressed this morning as if you were trying to impress someone. Your hands are slightly shaking, and your watch it missing. A man of your wealth and position would not leave the house without a watch. You smell like cherry perfume, and I am pretty sure you don't wear that. To top it all off, you have "the glow"," she said.

Was he really that obvious? "What glow?" he cautiously asked. "The I-just-got-laid glow," she said, giving him one of Beckett's signature looks.

"What's her name?" she asked again. Admitting defeat, he quickly scribbled a name onto the yellow legal pad paper. He was very aware that Gates could possibly be behind the mirror, and he was positive that Beckett wanted to keep it secret for as long as possible.

Rebecca saw him push the leather folder towards her. She looked down and her eyes widened. "Really?" she exclaimed. He nodded and wrote something else on the paper:

I can't really talk about it here. We have to keep it secret from the captain because we're kind of violating NYPD policy. Meet me at Remy's at seven, and you can ask me anything you'd like there.

She nodded and asked, "Is there anything else, or may I go now?" "I think that's it for now, just don't leave town until this is resolved. I'll see to it that you have police protection," he said. He escorted her out the room and led her to the bullpen.

While they were in the interrogation room, they seemed to have gotten visitors. Rebecca smiled at the boy who was standing next to Ryan. She immediately walked over and they embraced in a hug.

"Detectives, Mr. Castle, this is my boyfriend, Lance Andrews," she said.

Lance Andrews was a tall, thin boy with brown hair and brown eyes. He wore glasses, and he wore a blue t-shirt, dark blue jeans, brown dress shoes, and a grey windbreaker. From what Castle had heard, Lance was attending an Ivy League school studying to be a narrow surgeon.

"Nice to meet you," Lance and Castle said, shaking each other's hands. "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to take this beautiful lady out to lunch," Lance said, looking down lovingly at Rebecca. "Actually Lance, could we take your statement on what happened the other night? I promise it will only take a few minutes," he said.

He saw Lance's eyes widened, but then he quickly changed back to the smiling, lovesick boy. "No problem, sir. Anything I can do to help," he said.

After Lance and Rebecca left, Castle turned to the boys who were staring at him with confused expressions. He was just about to explain everything when the elevator opened. Looks like they had another visitor.

A woman stepped out and made her way towards them. She looked about five feet tall with brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a black rainbow polka dot dress that ended at her knees underneath a black blazer along with a pair of black flats.

"My name is Jenni Salinas. I work with the FBI. You three must be Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito, and Richard Castle. I am here to take jurisdiction over the case. Do penguins have knees?" she said.

The trio looked at her in confusing as she placed her things on a vacant desk. From what he'd observed, Agent Salinas can be serious when it's important, but she still manages to say something random. Things just got interesting.


	39. Dinner Meetings

**A/N: (crawls out from under rock) Hi everyone. I am VERY sorry for not updating sooner. Life and school got in the way, so I didn't have time to update. The only thing I've been really writing is poetry for my English class (which is the most fun thing in the world said no one in my class ever). I will try to update on a weekly basis since school is almost out. I'd like to thank all of you guys for bearing with me and reviewing, following, and adding this story to your favorites. Without you guys, this story wouldn't exist. Enjoy!**

Chapter 38

Jade descended the stairs just as the guests arrived. She plastered on a smile as she stood next to Bracken. "Remember our deal, Jade," he mumbled.

For every dinner Jade attended, Bracken let her invite Ruby over. Jade really wasn't allowed to have friends, but he allowed this one friendship. This is mostly due to the fact that Ruby's company sometimes funds his campaigns or operations.

Ruby wasn't allowed at the meetings herself. According to Bracken, he'd have to kill her if she ever heard what they said regarding business. This was one of the only rules she actually strived to obey. She was quite fond of Ruby, and it was nice to have another girl to talk to closer to your own age.

Today's lucky guests were Henri Powers and Joe Bowser. Powers was Bracken's financial advisor, and Bowser was one of the many corrupt cops in the NYPD on his payroll. Cedric Marks of course accompanied them as he always attends these meetings.

Powers was a tall man with short brown floppy hair and brown eyes. He wore a typical black and white suit with the only difference being that he wore a purple tie. Bowser was out of uniform, dressed in a simple black t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and a black motorcycle jacket. He had short crew cut brown hair and cold, icy blue eyes. Cedric wore his favorite black coat zipped up and black dress pants underneath.

"Gentlemen, thank you for join me this evening. If you don't know already, this is my daughter, Jade," Bracken introduced. They all exchanges greetings before Bracken led them to the dining hall.

There were two types of dinner tables in the dining hall. One was the incredibly long one that took up the majority of the room that could seat one hundred people. That was reserved for parties, charity events, and major holidays. The other dining table was much smaller and could seat only seven people. This was reserved for private meetings, and so that is the one they were going to dine at.

They all sat down, and going clockwise, Bracken was at the head, Jade to his right, Cedric next to her, Bowser next to him, and finally Powers leaving two chairs between him and Bracken. The three guests took out their necessities for the meeting while Bracken and Jade watched them. Powers had the highest stack of them all.

"Thanks Weasley," Jade said when a butler came in and set the meal by the table. The butler's name was Ronald McLangley, but he resembled Rupert Grint, the actor who portrays Ron Weasley, a lot. So Jade settled on calling him Weasley.

He nodded his reply before he took his leave. She heard the faint click of the door being locked. No one will disturb this meeting without them noticing.

She then got up and examined the variety of alcohol Weasley brought in. "Would you gentlemen like a drink?" she asked.

"Aren't you a bit young to be mixing drinks, doll?" Bowser asked. "I am the perfect age, Mr. Bowser. I'm assuming you'd like a Jameson? Mr. Powers would like a grasshopper, Cedric will take a Captain Morgan's, and Dad will have a glass of whiskey," she stated, already mixing the drinks.

Powers and Bowser stared dumbfounded as they watched the young girl mix drinks. "You get used to it after a while," Cedric said, just as Jade slid the glass of Captain Morgan's at him.

Soon all the gentlemen had their drinks. Jade made a vodka martini for herself before she set it down at her seat. She handed out the meals before she could finally sit down and business would begin.

"Who's the target?" Jade asked after taking a bite of her spaghetti. "Bill, are you sure it's wise to include your daughter in these business talks?" Powers asked.

Jade rolled her eyes before saying, "Mr. Powers, as per my father's request, I am forbidden to speak ill of anyone in this room, but I will say this. I am not simply my father's daughter. I am the operative he calls when there's a special target that needs expert handling. Before you say anything, I am far highly trained than any hired gun my father owns, and my pay is the food that I eat, the clothes that I wear, and the house I get to live in. This business you speak of will eventually fall into my hands to carry out, so my father thought it'd be best to hear it at the same time so that I can begin right away. Now, politely stop commenting how I'm too young to do things, and shut the hell up and eat your dinner."

Powers and Bowser wore shocked expressions while Cedric merely continued to eat his taco and Bracken sighed in exasperation. "Who is the target?" she asked again, reaching for her vodka martini.

Cedric slid a file over to her. "Jordan Parkinson, 26, Aerobics trainer at a 24 hour fitness in Richmond, Virginia. She's married to Ian Parkinson, a History teacher at the local high school. They have twins, Candace and Cierra, and a new born, Jason," he explained.

"What did she do?" she asked. "She's the half-sister of Kyle Rodin, the rookie we hired to kidnap Alexis. Jordan is James Rodin's bastard, and Grace kicked her out of the house as soon as he died. That's why the police haven't found out about her yet. As for what she did, she heard too much about us from her brother. We need to make sure that she won't leak anything to the police, especially Kate Beckett. Find her, get everything she knows out of her, and then kill her," Bracken said, taking a bite of his steak.

"I will be needing a few things in order to complete this mission," she said. "That is why I asked Powers to join us. Henri, make sure we can afford this," Bracken said.

"Certainly sir. What will you be needing?" he asked after taking another bite of his cheese enchiladas. "I'll need to borrow the private jet to get there, some money to buy food, clothes, etc. for about a week, a crate, more chloroform, and a place to sleep. I will also like to know the location where I must take Mrs. Parkinson," she said. "Complex number 890," Bracken replied.

"The plane should have enough fuel for this mission, but after that, you'll have to fuel her up again. I can grant Jade $1,000 for food, clothes, etc. Crates are piled up in the plane, so take your pick. Getting chloroform from our supplier should only cost $650. I shall reserve a room for you under the name Jade West at the Jefferson Hotel. Is there anything else you require?" he asked. "No thank you, Mr. Powers. I shall leave first thing in the morning, Father," Jade replied.

"Excellent. Now, Bowser, report," Bracken said.

"Kate Beckett is MIA right now. Richard Castle, Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan, and Captain Victoria Gates are trying to track her down. Castle interviewed Rebecca Rose aka Madison Beckett. Rebecca's boyfriend, Lance Andrews, came to pick her up, and he took her to a café on Broadway before escorting her to her hotel room. Special Agent Jenni Salinas from the FBI came to take jurisdiction over the case. Also, Castle received something in the mail," he said, pushing aside his now empty plate of tacos.

"Did you find out what he received?" Bracken asked. "Yes sir. While he went to the break room to fill up his coffee cup, I quickly went through the package. It was just a bunch of comic books," Bowser said.

"Good, then it is nothing we need to worry about," Bracken said, "Keep tabs on the team. I want to know how much they know about us."

"Yes sir," Bowser said. "Dessert?" Jade asked.

At the gentlemen's nod, she got up and cut the chocolate cake. She handed them each a slice of it before sitting down and eating. "That settles everything. Let me know if anything new comes up," Bracken said.

The gentlemen took their leave soon after, promising to report soon. As soon as they left, Jade felt Bracken's hand on her shoulder.

"Well done, Jade. Now, go have fun with that friend of yours before you have to leave in the morning," he said. She didn't need to be told twice.

"Ruby, I'm back!" she shouted as she entered the room. She found her friend sitting on the floor with her Kindle Fire in her hands. "Hey, how did the dinner go?" she asked, setting it down.

"Sitting in a room with your step-dad, a hired gun, a financial advisor, and a cop for an hour trying to be civil had to be the hardest thing I've ever done, especially since Bowser and Powers kept saying I was too young to be doing things," she complained. This brought a laugh from Ruby, and Jade managed a small smile.

"C'mon, let's watch a few movies. We have to watch the Star Trek movies before Into Darkness comes out," Ruby said. "I can't wait to see it, especially since Benedict Cumberbatch is in it. Double the feels!" Jade exclaimed.

Ruby laughed, and Jade sat down next to her. Ruby handed her a bowl of popcorn and a six pack of Sprite. Jade allowed herself to be happy and carefree with her friend, sharing a few jokes and simply hanging out together. It may only be brief, but Jade liked this feeling of normalcy. She could get used to this if only she could figure out how to survive without Bracken…


	40. The Moment of Truth

**A/N: THAT EPISODE! I am still trying to comprehend if that actually happened. I keep watching the end over and over again every day, and I am still squealing. What did you guys think? Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 39

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Castle asked. "I am going to be assisting you in the case. I have no intention of taking the case from you, but I would like to help you. Will you please bring me up to speed?" she asked.

"Detective Ryan," Castle said. "Yeah, I have it here," Ryan said, handing her a file. "In that file is all the information we have on the case. I'll give you a few minutes to skim through it before I report what I got from the interrogation," Castle said, turning to leave.

"Yo Castle, where you going?" Esposito asked. "To get lunch. Pizza sound good?" he asked. Esposito glanced at Ryan. "Dude looks like he needs a breather. We can ask someone to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Ryan whispered.

"Yeah, thanks bro," Esposito replied. They saw him manage a smile before he grabbed his coat and put it on. They watched as he boarded the awaiting elevator, and the façade faded away just as the doors closed.

Castle sat at their swings, slowly swinging back and forth on the balls of his feet. His hands were in his pockets, and he was staring at nothing in particular. His thoughts took him away from the world, and all he could register was the slow back and forth movement.

Everything was happening so fast and so slow at the same time. Now that he sat here, he wondered why he and Kate always seem to come to these swings when they had a lot on their minds or a big decision to make.

He closed his eyes and fully registered the burden he had to carry. His daughter was kidnapped. The people who hurt Kate and murdered her mother are the ones who took her as bait to get to him and Kate. Kate went rogue and is running around Europe with a mysterious other person. Smith sent him a package containing everything they needed to take down the people behind all this. His mother is hiding something from him (Yes, he knew her tell. She may be an actress, but he reads right through her.). Kate and he started something, and they haven't talked about where they're going. There's a price on his head. He can't trust people at the precinct except for his team because they could be corrupt cops.

Just a few weeks ago, he was mad at her for lying to him. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be forgetting her, moving on. He wasn't supposed to love her. But he can't stay away, no matter how hard he tries. He is hopelessly in love with her.

His relationship with Kate was the least of his worries right now. He needed the rest of the Avengers to assemble so that he can go through the file. He needed to skim over it and add it to the information they already know. He had to do all this without anyone else noticing and tipping the people behind all this off.

He got up from the swings and started walking towards the pizza place. He needed to get back and work on the case. He needed to work every lead they had until either it leads to a dead end or they solve the case. The chance of it being the latter were slim.

Castle arrived back at the precinct carrying three pizza boxes. He set them down on the chair he usually sat in when Beckett was here. It felt weird to be sitting in Beckett's chair since he was used to watching her from his chair.

Esposito and Ryan walked up to him and immediately attacked the pizza boxes. Castle would normally join them, but he had no appetite at the moment. "Yo bro, apparently Agent Salinas has a partner," Esposito said. "Really? Who would that be?" Castle asked. Ryan was about to say something when Castle heard a voice behind him.

"That would be me." Castle turned and was met with the presence of another woman. She looked around Salinas' height, made a couple of inches taller. She had jet black hair in a perfect bun and brown, almost red eyes. She wore secretary style black glasses, a black blazer, a white collared dress shirt, a black pencil skirt that ended at her knees, and black flats.

"And your name is?" Castle asked. "Special Agent Lena Baggins, FBI. Before you say anything, I am well aware that I share the same last name as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins from Lord of the Rings. You must be Richard Castle, the author," she said.

"Yes ma'am, nice to meet you. I assume that you've read the file?" he asked. "Yes sir, and if it isn't any inconvenience to you, I'd like to know what information you acquired from Miss Rose," she said.

"Oh Lena, do you have to be professional all the time? Live a little," Salinas said, making her grand entrance into the room. "Salinas, it is our job to act professional at all times. It's not my fault that you act like a twelve year old," Lena said.

"That's where you and Castle share a common trait," Ryan said. Castle shot him a death glare, and Ryan stopped smiling. "Anyway, can we please get back to the case?" Castle asked.

Not bothering to wait for their response, he got up and went over to the murder board. He picked up a blue Expo marker and started to fill things in. "Wyatt Jennings and Kyle Rodin are one and the same. Apparently, he was the one who gave Jenna the shiner and bruises. Rebecca didn't say anything because Jenna warned her that her life would be in danger. Paige Hensworth is in London visiting her parents. Rebecca provided me with her phone number, so we'll call her and ask her to come to New York. A Bert Johnson is our mysterious stalker. Rebecca was in New York the night Jenna died visiting Lance Andrews. She witnessed Johnson murder Jenna. He has had a crush on Jenna since grammar school, and when she chose Wyatt over him, he snapped. He thought that Wyatt was going to be at the park, but it was Jenna instead.

"Ryan, you keep working at the…thing. 'Sito, find out everything you can on Bert Johnson and put and APB out on him. I'll call Paige," he said. "You got it….Dad," they said, turning away to do their jobs.

Castle sighed and reached for the phone when he heard someone clear their throat. "As for you guys, just do whatever you want. You're FBI after all. You don't need to be taking orders from a civilian," he said, not bothering to look up.

Lena Baggins was going to say something in return, but the words got stuck in her throat. It was no use saying something if no one was going to listen. "C'mon, Salinas, let's go assist Detectives Esposito and Ryan. Mr. Castle appears to have everything under control here," she said, turning to leave.

Salinas may be the random one out of the two, but she was still smart. She noticed something off about Richard Castle, but she chose to say nothing of it. She sighed and moved to follow Lena. "Oh and Salinas?" She stopped and waited for him to continue. "Penguins don't have knees."

Paige Hensworth was going to catch the first flight to New York tomorrow, and she will touch down at JFK around nine next morning. Bert Johnson was a ghost; it's like he never existed. His credit cards weren't active, and he had no cell phone on record. If this guy's plan was to disappear, he was doing a pretty damn good job at it.

Salinas called the local authorities in Colorado to be on the look-out for him. Lena went to her hotel to change. She couldn't figure out how to use the coffee maker, and she ended up getting coffee all over her. To say she was furious would be an understatement, and it didn't help that everyone was trying so hard not to laugh.

Ryan got all the flights from La Guardia coinciding with the time Kate called, but it was like finding a needle in a needle stack. Without knowing where she was headed, it was impossible to tell which flight she was on.

Castle decided to call it a night. He packed up a few files in his brown leather messenger bag and grabbed his coat. "I'm heading out. Meet me at the Old Haunt at nine?" he asked. The boys nodded, and Castle headed towards the elevator. It was time to be grilled by a Beckett.

Rebecca Rose was waiting outside of Remy's when he arrived there a few minutes later. She'd changed into a simple purple t-shirt, black jeans, black high-heeled boots, and a black leather jacket. Just like Kate would've worn.

"Hey, thanks for coming," he said. "No problem. Now, I want answers, so let's go," she said, dragging him into the building. How was he going to survive this?

"So what's good here?" she asked. They were now seated at his and Kate's usual booth, and they had their menus. "What do you feel like eating?" he asked. "None of that salad crap. I heard Remy's has good burgers, so I want a burger," she said.

"Okay, if you're anymore like Kate, I know something you'll like," he said. He summoned over a waitress and ordered for them.

"I know you have a million questions, so ask away. I promise to answer at the best of my abilities, but anything else, you'd probably have to ask Jim and Kate," he said. "Tell me about my mom and dad. What are they like?" she asked.

"Well, I can't really tell you much about your mom. I've never met her. She was murdered when Kate was about 19," he said. "How did she die?" she asked. "She was stabbed in an alley in Washington Heights. The detective investigating it classified it as random gang violence, but she still had her purse and jewelry when they found her. The killer was never caught, but we found the man who stabbed her. He was just a hired gun, and Kate had to shoot him or else he'd shot me. A man shot Kate at our former captain's funeral a little less than a year ago. He was also a hired gun. The person who hired him also kidnapped Alexis and killed your sister," he explained.

"Wow, that's real complicated stuff. I want to murder whoever shot my sister and killed my mom. What about my dad?" she asked.

"Jim is still alive. He's staying at his place in Suburban New York. I'm not sure he's ready to confront you yet. I left a voicemail on his phone to call if he wanted to arrange a meeting with you, and he hasn't responded yet. Give him time, and he'll eventually come around," he said.

"How did you and Kate first meet?" she asked, just as their meal arrived. He ate a few fries to give him a few extra seconds to think before he said, "She crashed the launch party for Storm Fall and arrested me."

She laughed and said, "Let me guess, you used your connections with the Mayor to get permission to shadow her, and she hated you more than anything." "How did you-" "Lucky guess," she said.

"More importantly, how did you guys…hook-up?" she asked, taking a bite of her burger. He stuttered a bit, blushing. "Okay, clean version," she said. "Um, we fought a bit, and I left. She found out about you guys being her sisters, so she came to my hotel room. I comforted her a bit and….one thing led to another," he said.

"So are you two a thing now or…?" she asked. He sighed and placed his burger down. "I'm not sure. She left in the middle of the night, and now she's somewhere in Europe looking for my daughter. She promised that we would talk about it when she got back but…I don't know," he replied.

He paid for their meal, and now they were standing outside. Rebecca was still sipping her strawberry milkshake.

"Thank you for dinner. I've had a lovely time. You chose well," she said. "Anything for Kate's sister. Oh by the way, your real name is Madison Nicole Beckett, and Jenna's real name was Audrey Hannah Beckett. I just thought you should know," he said.

"Madison Nicole Beckett. It had a nice ring to it," she said, smiling. "If you ever need to talk, just give me a call," he said, handing her a card. "Thank you, Mr. Castle. I'll be sure to take you up on that offer someday," she said, pocketing the car. "Please call me Rick. Mr. Castle makes me feel old," he said.

She laughed and he managed a small smile. "I better be going before my parents start to worry. Good luck on finding the people behind this, and good night, Rick," she said, hailing a cab. "Until we meet again, Rebecca, and thank you," he said.

He arrived at the Old Haunt soon after. "Evening, Mr. Castle," Declan greeted. "Dec, what are you doing working this late?" Rick asked. "George's on babysitter duty for his mom, so he asked me to cover for him. What can I get you?" he asked. "Get me a Ryan, an Esposito, and the usual," he replied.

They came to the bar long enough and ordered the same thing enough times that all the bartenders knew what he meant when he said that. He spotted Ryan and Esposito come into the bar. "Hey guys, go sit down. I'll bring the drinks," he said.

"Thanks, Dec. I'll pay you double for tonight," he said. "Thanks, sir. Yell if you need anything," Declan replied. Castle mumbled that he would, and he took the drinks to the table.

"Yo Castle, what's up?" Esposito asked. "Yeah, what's going on?" Ryan asked. Rick slid the men their respective drinks before taking a sip of his own.

He pulled out the package he received this morning and placed it on the table. "What is that?" Esposito asked. "It's a package that Michael Smith, Montgomery's friend that made the deal, sent me. According to him, it contains everything we need to take these sons of bitches down," he said.

"No way, seriously?" Ryan asked. "I'm not sure, but he sent a letter with it. He said that by the time I received the package, he would already be dead. The deal was off, and Kate and I as well as everyone we care about are in danger. He told me to only tell this information to you two, Lanie, Gates, and eventually Beckett," Rick explained.

"So what are we going to do?" Esposito asked. "I was thinking that we set up a murder board at Ryan's place, and we skim through the stuff there," Rick replied. "I'll ask Jenny to clear out the white board in my office," Ryan said, reaching for his phone.

Rick reached for his drink when he noticed someone get on the stage. He smiled and took a sip of his drink, now focused on the stage. This was going to be good.

"Hey guys, for those of you who don't know me, I'm Harmony Franco. Now that that's taken care of, I'll start," she said. She began to strum her guitar and sang:

"Gravity is working against me  
And gravity wants to bring me down

Oh I'll never know what makes this man  
With all the love that his heart can stand  
Dream of ways to throw it all away

Oh, gravity is working against me  
And gravity wants to bring me down

_[2x]_  
Oh twice as much ain't twice as good  
And can't sustain like one half could  
It's wanting more  
That's gonna send me to my knees

Oh gravity, stay the hell away from me  
And gravity has taken better men than me (now how can that be?)

Just keep me where the light is  
Just keep me where the light is  
Just keep me where the light is  
C'mon keep me where the light is  
C'mon keep me where the light is  
C'mon keep me where keep me where the light is (oh, oh)"

The bar exploded in a round of applause. Harmony thanked them before she got off the stage. She spotted Rick sitting in his usual booth, and she headed towards him.

"Hey Ricky, I didn't expect to see you here tonight," she said. Up close, Harmony Franco had chocolate colored skin, matching eyes, and long dark brown curly hair. She wore an electric blue cardigan a size too big, a white t-shirt, black jeans, and a pair of blue Oxfords.

"I didn't expect you to be preforming tonight. Guys, this is my friend, Harmony Franco. Harmony, these are my colleagues, Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito," Rick introduced. They exchanged pleasantries, and Declan brought Harmony a glass of water.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, Rick. In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers," she said.

"Really, Fred Rodgers?" "Shut up. The point is, talk to this detective of yours about your issues. She might just help you more than you think, especially since you have the information she needs," she said.

"How did you-" "I can read minds, Ricky. I also know that four shall return from the voyage Kate went on. If you need any help, just call. I have to go get ready for my next set. It was nice meeting you, boys," she said before she left.

The boys all crammed into the small home office soon after. They were busy attacking the board, listing everything they knew as of now about the case. Ryan plugged in the coffee maker since they were burning through cups of coffee, and it was a pain to go back and forth between the kitchen and the office.

Soon they were done. They leaned against the desk and stared at the information on the board. "I think that's it. You got the package?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah, you ready to find out who's behind all this?" Ryan asked. "As I'll ever be," Castle replied. Ryan hesitantly broke the seal again and dumped the files onto the desk. Castle picked up one and skimmed over it. His coffee cup fell to the floor. "Son of a bitch…."


	41. The Plan

**A/N: VERY sorry for not updating sooner. Life happened, and I haven't really had time to write, and when I did, I was tired and couldn't think of anything. Anyway, here's a chapter. I might have another one up soon, but that depends on how productive I feel like being. On another note, I'd like to wish my friend, Mariah, happy birthday! I hope you have a rainbow, gummy bears, apple juice, and unicorn filed day! Enjoy and please review.**

Chapter 40

Kate woke up when she heard Ross swear loudly. She hastily pulled her hair up into a pony tail before she walked over to the living room. Something must've happened, and it didn't sound like it was good.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Ross remained focused on the screen. Kate made her way over to make herself a cup of coffee.

Ross finally realized that Kate was in the room. He quickly removed his headphones and said, "See for yourself, kid." Kate made her way to the couch and sat down next to Ross. The laptop screen was focusing on the footage of Ryan, Esposito, and Castle at Ryan's apartment.

Kate and Ross stared at the screen as they watched the boys attack the white board. She saw them immortalize every aspect of the case onto the board.

"I'm assuming that the other gentlemen are Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito?" Ross asked. She nodded, "What is in the package?" "I'm not sure, but it looks like we're about to find out," he replied.

He handed her a pair of headphones. She put them on and immediately heard everything they said.

_ "I think that's it. You got the package?" Esposito said. "Yeah, you ready to find out who's behind all this?" Ryan asked. "As I'll ever be," Castle replied. _

She watched as Ryan broke the seal of the package and dumped the file onto the desk. She caught brief glimpses of pictures of people and police reports. She saw Castle pick up a file and skim over it with his speed reader skills.

She watched his eyes widen, and his coffee cup fell out of his hands. _"Son of a bitch…," he said. _

She turned to look at Ross and asked, "Can you get a better angle at the file?" "I can try, but don't count on it," he said. He proceeded to click on a new window, and a long string of computer code appeared. He typed a few things before returning to the video feed.

"I can't get a better angle without being exposed," he said. "Damn it," she swore, slamming her fist onto the table in frustration. "The only way to know about the file is if you ask him, but he can't know that you know he has it," he said.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked. "Wait until he gives you a call. Don't give anything away that you know what he has. Let him explain everything to you. Don't say anything letting him know where you are or who I am," he explained.

"What do we do now?" she asked. "Right now, I'm waiting for my contact to arrive. He'll help us get into the complex. We're going to plan a way to get both Alexis and your mother out as safely and as quietly as possible," he replied.

Ross walked over to the small kitchen. "Waffles?" he asked. At her nod, he started to add ingredients to a mixing bowl and plugged in the waffle maker.

Soon, Ross and Kate sat at a table with a full plate of waffles, eggs, bacon and a mug of steaming coffee. "These have to be some of the best waffles I've ever tasted," Kate said, taking another bite of her breakfast.

"A spy has to know how to do something normal, right?" he replied. Kate hummed in response and took a sip of her coffee.

"Tell me more about Richard," he said, breaking the silence. "Don't you know every aspect of his life since you've been checking up on him all these years?" she asked. "Yes, but I want to know about him as in his personality and such," he said, placing down his fork. She saw him rest his chin on his hands in the same way Castle did when he was listening to a story, especially one about her past.

"Well, he's an immature, egotistical, self-centered jackass sometimes," she said. At this, Ross laughed, "How did you put up with him all these years?" "He proved to be surprisingly useful, and he makes the job a bit more fun. Sometimes he can be this serious, caring guy, especially when it comes to Alexis. Other times, he can be a nine-year-old-on-a-sugar-rush," she replied.

"And how are things between the two of you?" he asked. "He's my partner. He helps me solve murders," she said, trying to avoid talking about it. He gave her a "that's-not-what-I-meant-and-you-know-it" look. "The situation between us is…complicated," she replied, staring down at her plate.

Before Ross can press for more, the buzzer went off. Ross pulled out a gun that looks like a Ruger P90 and headed for the door. Kate reached for her backup piece strapped to her ankle, ready in case of an attack.

Ross opened the door and lowered his gun. "C'mon in," he said, opening the door to allow the person through before locking it behind them.

A man stood by the door. He had light blonde hair and light green eyes. He wore a plain black t-shirt, a brown leather jacket, black jeans, and black combat boots. A pair of black glasses hung on the collar of his shirt. He was taller than Kate, but he had to be around 5' 9" or 5' 10".

"Night Wing, meet Detective Kate Beckett. Kate, meet Daniel McCall," Ross introduced. He nodded his head at her in greeting before he proceeded to sit down on a stool by the kitchen island.

"Those waffles, Steve?" he asked. "Yeah, help yourself," Ross replied. McCall loaded up a plate of waffles, eggs, and bacon and filled a mug with coffee. He then went back to the couch where Kate and Ross were waiting for him.

"So, you're Nikki Heat?" he asked, taking a large bite of waffles. Kate sighed and said, "The inspiration for it, yes." "Figures. Writer Boy has it bad for you, doesn't he?" he asked.

At this, Kate shifted in her seat uncomfortably, looking down at her hands. Her hair covered her face, hiding her blush. "Anyway, can we get to the objective?" Ross said. It was clear that Kate was slightly embarrassed, and to spare any arguments, he decided to skip the pleasantries.

"So, where exactly are they being held?" Kate asked. Ross unrolled a map onto the coffee table. The map was of a four-story building. "The warehouse is located about twenty miles from here. To keep their disguise, they have their warehouse in the middle of a forest. This proves as an advantage and a disadvantage for us," Ross explained.

"As a refresh in case you don't know, our advantage is that we have a better chance of maintaining the element of surprise. The disadvantage is that it makes it all the bit harder to track them down," he said.

"Now, Alexis and Johanna are in a room on the third floor. There are guards on every entrance and exit. They also happened to be contract killers which makes it all the more harder to break in," Ross said.

"So, what's the plan?" McCall asked. "We're going to sneak into the tunnels underneath the warehouse. The plan is to cut off their power supply. Once that is done, we have a better chance of sneaking in unseen and getting them out safely," he said.

"How do we cut off the power supply?" Kate asked. Ross pointed to a bow on the map of the tunnels. "That's the generator. Kate, you're going sneak in there with this watch," he said, handing her a normal looking watch. "How is this going to cut off the power?" she asked.

"The watch is rigged with an explosive that will go off once the timer runs out. This will also provide the distraction we need to sneak in there," he explained. He saw the uncertainty in her eyes and smiled, "Don't worry. I'll be guiding you all the way via walkie talkie."

"Where do I go?" McCall asked. "Danny, you're going to be stationed at this door. That way you can let us in after the explosions go off," he explained. "What do I do to the guard that is stationed there?" he asked.

Ross gave him a you-know-this look. "Just checking. Most times, you get mad if I kill someone," McCall replied.

"Where will you be?" Kate asked Ross. "I'll be hidden in the woods, watching over the scene. Which is a fancy way of saying 'the look-out'. I'll meet you guys at the door as soon as the coast is clear," he explained.

"When do we attack?" McCall asked. "In about an hour or so. It isn't exactly midnight, but it will still be dark outside," Ross said.

"Get your gear together and get some rest. Who knows how long it will be until we can sleep or eat again," Ross said.

Danny crashed on the couch as soon as Ross left the room. Kate tossed him a blanket and a pillow which he accepted with gratitude. She returned to her own room and laid on the bed. This was it. She was finally going to catch the man who murdered her mom-err, her aunt. She was finally going to rescue her mother and Alexis and bring them home safely. All she had to do was wait one more hour…


	42. A New Roommate

**A/N: Wow, me writing an update on a day that is not a weekend? This is a rare occasion. I know this is short, but I wanted to get this written and focus on writing the next one. The next chapter (which should be up tomorrow) will be dedicated to one of my good friends. Then, I hope to have another chapter up that day after that for my other good friend. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 41

Alexis' eyes shot open, and she immediately groaned in pain. Everything hurt, and it made it impossible to move. She realized that she was tucked in the bed and that Cedric and Jade were gone. She saw Johanna to her right with her peripheral vision.

Johanna turned her head when she heard a groan. She offered a small smile and said, "Hey, sleepy head. Here, let me change your bandages. Would you like me to prop you up? Blink for yes, groan for no."

Alexis blinked and Johanna carefully propped her up. She placed pillows around her, and Alexis relaxed. She saw Johanna open a box and start to take things out of it.

"It's a first aid kit that I found. This is going to sting a bit," she said. She then placed a cotton ball on the gash of her right arm.

Alexis bit back a scream as she felt the rubbing alcohol make contact with her wound. Johanna did her best to make it as quick as possible, but Alexis was still losing a lot of blood. She managed to clean her up a little, and she replaced the bandages with new ones. Alexis wasn't 100%, but she should be okay for a few days at the most.

"Can you stand?" Johanna asked. "I think I can, but not for very long," Alexis replied. "Okay, just stay put. They just brought us our dinner, so I'll go get it. Would you like anything else?" Johanna asked. "It's okay. I can get it myself," Alexis said, moving to get up.

Johanna immediately gently pushed her back down. "It's okay, Alexis, I can get it for you. You want that book you were reading, don't you?"

At her nod, Johanna moved towards the pile of books in the corner. She found the book and carefully pulled it out. Then she balanced the two trays along with it in her hands and made her way back to Alexis.

Their dinner consisted of steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, and broccoli. At least they had the courtesy of giving them well-cooked and surprisingly tasty meals instead of the cliché stale bread and week old leftovers.

Once they were finished, Johanna took the plates and slid them under the door where they will be picked up later. When she returned, Alexis was already buried in that book of hers.

"Divergent by Veronica Roth, huh. Is she any good?" she asked. Alexis looked up and said, "Surprisingly yes. I can really relate to the main character in here. It's an interesting story."

"Any good books to recommend from that stack of yours? I already read all of mine at least twenty times," Johanna asked. "All of the books in my stack are good. There are three series over there besides this one, Maximum Ride, Harry Potter, and the Hunger Games. Pick a series, and I'll tell you the order you have to read them in," Alexis replied, not looking up from her book.

"Hmm…I think I'll try Harry Potter first. I vaguely remember Katie reading the first and second book before I…died. She constantly talked about it. The first one if "_The Sorcerer's Stone_", right?" she asked, picking up the tattered copy of the book. It must've been well loved.

At Alexis' nod, Johanna settled herself into the makeshift chair made of blankets and pillows, reached for her reading glasses, and entered the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

Their comfortable silence was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Alexis and Johanna marked their places and placed their books to the side. They prepared themselves for the worst.

"Oh don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you any further. I just came to bring you a new roommate," Cedric Marks said.

Cedric pushed the figure standing beside him down the stairs before closing the door behind him. The figure lay still on the floor.

Alexis limped towards the figure while using Johanna as a crutch. Johanna held the first aid kit in her other hand.

The figure was a woman with medium-length brown hair. She wore a brown trench-coat and black dress pants.

"Hello? My name is Alexis. This is Johanna. Can you stand?" Alexis asked. The woman raised her head up slowly and used her elbows to lift her up to a sitting position.

Alexis heard something fall to the floor. She turned and saw that Johanna had dropped the first aid kit, and her face wore a shocked expression.

"Is everything okay?" Alexis asked.

"No, it can't be…," Johanna mumbled. She turned to face the young ginger who now wore a worried expression on her face. "She's Holly McCray, my niece."


End file.
